THE bridge deck and temporary staircases for Network Rail’s new accessible footbridge at St Erth have been successfully installed.
The previous listed footbridge was carefully dismantled last weekend and will be taken to East Somerset heritage railway. The project is part of the Department for Transport’s Access for All scheme and continues Network Rail’s investment on the St Ives branch line, which carries a million passengers a year.
Weighing 50 tonnes, the new footbridge deck was lifted into place by a 1,000-tonne crane in October. It was lifted from the front of the station and carefully installed over the railway. The temporary staircases were installed soon afterwards and on Saturday, October 26, night the listed footbridge was gently lifted out.
The work, by Network Rail’s contractor BAM Nuttall, took place over several weekends after trains had stopped running, meaning there was no disruption for passengers. It’s the second major stage of work after two lift shafts and steel to support the deck and staircases were installed back in July.
The next stage will see two permanent staircases lifted into place. To create space for them, the existing footbridge was carefully dismantled and will be rebuilt at Cranmore station on the East Somerset heritage railway. At present, temporary staircases are in place to allow passengers to use the footbridge.
Work will then continue to complete the lifts at the Grade II-listed station, built in 1852. St Erth is home to Cornwall’s first multi modal hub, a project to improve links between the station, A30 and local bus services.
Alina Wolfe Murray, senior sponsor at Network Rail, said: “This is another key milestone successfully reached and passengers can now use their new footbridge with the installation of these temporary staircases. By the next busy summer holiday season, St Erth will be a much easier station to use.”
BAM Nuttall senior project manager Yan Sayles said: “The people of Cornwall expect a rail service which is accessible for everyone, and we’re delighted to be playing our part in delivering these improvements, helping to keep communities connected across the south west.
“We’re looking forward to seeing the new bridge put to good use, in the meantime our team will be working hard to complete the project with minimal impact on the travelling public.”
Richard Pears, Cornwall Council cabinet portfolio holder for transport, said: “The new footbridge will be a great addition to the station, ensuring access for all.
“The multi modal hub has increased the numbers of people making rail journeys to and from the station and reflects our wider ambitions for public transport in Cornwall – improving transport infrastructure so that residents and visitors have options for cutting down on the number of car journeys and travelling more sustainably.”