Rail Passengers Warned of Disruption After Lorry Strikes Rochdale Bridge

Rochdale, Greater Manchester – Rail passengers are facing delays and disruption after a lorry struck a low railway bridge in Rochdale on Friday afternoon, causing travel delays on both a narrow road and rail networks.

The incident occurred on September 8th on New Barn Lane, blocking the road on either side of the bridge between Abingdon Close and Kensington Street. An image from the scene showed the large goods vehicle firmly wedged beneath the structure, forcing cars to turn around and find alternative routes.

Network Rail engineers were called to the scene to assess the integrity of the bridge following the collision.

As a safety precaution, train operator TransPennine Express announced that services which travel over the bridge are being forced to run at a reduced speed. This is causing knock-on delays to a key route.

In a statement, the operator confirmed that services affected include those running from Manchester Victoria to Leeds, and onward to destinations such as Scarborough, Redcar, and Newcastle.

Passengers travelling on these routes have been advised to check for the latest travel information before starting their journey and to allow extra time for potential delays. The speed restrictions are expected to remain in place until engineers can fully inspect the bridge and declare it safe for trains to pass at their normal speed.