Taxpayers have shelled out £8million on a troubled government scheme to fill historic railway bridge arches with tonnes of concrete. Some 50 bridges across the UK were infilled with crushed stone and foamed concrete between 2013 and 2021, it can be revealed.
The project, which cost £8,011,624, was expected to keep the bridges safe for use without expensive restoration work. But a Freedom of Information request has revealed the scheme’s scale for the first time.
The most expensive bridge infill, on Glasgow’s Copland Road, cost the taxpayer £817,511. The site sits underground near Ibrox Stadium. The second most expensive was at Crosshouse, Ayrshire, which cost £587,152.
The bridges are owned by the UK Government, with many left redundant by the 1965 Beeching rail cuts. Managing director of bridge restoration firm Goldhawk Bridge Restoration Ltd David Kitching said there are “better, more cost-effective measures”.
He added: “Infilling was an option deemed to be acceptable under certain circumstances but it does seem to have been steamrolled through without much thought or debate as to whether it was morally acceptable.
“It might be cost-effective in the short term but if it damages the bridge long-term that’s not acceptable. That amount of concrete is an eyesore, it’s shocking they’ve gone ahead and infilled 50 bridges.”
The third most expensive was Wellinditch bridge in Chelmsford which cost £240,416 to fill. The average cost was £157,000.
A bridge at the heart of the scandal, Great Musgrave bridge in Eden, Cumbria, dates back to 1862. Its arches were filled in 2021 but the £121,092 of work will be reversed after a retrospective planning application was refused.
It will cost about £90,000 to remove the concrete, National Highways has previously said.
National Highways’ head of the historical railways estate programme Helene Rossiter said: “We are committed to a change of direction and will no longer consider the infilling of any structures as part of our future plans, unless there is absolutely no alternative.”
Last year, campaigners called the plan “brutal vandalism”. Some 130 structures were earmarked for demolition or infill until the scheme was halted last year.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here .
