New 50-tonne bridge installed to make historic station 'accessible for everyone'

Abigail Nicholson
·3-min read
The new footbridge at St Erth was lifted into place by a 1,000-tonne crane earlier this month.
-Credit: (Image: National Rail)


A new 50-tonne bridge and temporary staircases at St Erth station have been successfully installed. The new footbridge deck was lifted into place by a 1,000-tonne crane earlier this month.

It was lifted from the front of the station and carefully installed over the railway. The temporary staircases were installed soon afterwards and the listed footbridge was gently lifted out before being transported to East Somerset heritage railway.

The new bridge is part of the Department for Transport’s Access for All scheme, which is ensuring anybody who would like to use the railway will have the facilities to do so. It's also part of Network Rail’s continued investment on the St Ives branch line, which carries a million passengers a year, supporting tourism and businesses in the area.

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The work, by Network Rail’s contractor BAM Nuttall, took place over several weekends after trains had stopped running. The next stage will see two permanent staircases lifted into place. In the meantime, temporary staircases are in place to allow passengers to use the footbridge.

The new footbridge at St Erth was lifted into place by a 1,000-tonne crane earlier this month.
The new footbridge at St Erth was lifted into place by a 1,000-tonne crane earlier this month. -Credit:National Rail

After the staircases are fitted, work will 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 led by Cornwall Council with support from the European Regional Development Fund to improve links between the station, A30, and 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.”

Gary Amos, volunteer project manager at East Somerset Railway, said: “We are delighted that the old bridge has been successfully dismantled, and look forward to giving this iconic structure its new lease of life at the East Somerset Railway. Work is already underway to establish new foundations for the bridge at Cranmore and we hope to complete refurbishing the structure and re-erect the bridge by the end of 2025. This will make a significant improvement to our visitor experience at Cranmore Station by giving access to our recently completed second platform.”

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