Trains halted and road shut as truck hits railway bridge

Trains were brought to a stop and a key Potteries road shut after a truck smashed into a railway bridge. And officials with Network Rail say the incident resulted in 'needless' delays to both train passengers and motorists following the crash on Fenton's ^[1] City Road.

As reported by StokeonTrentLive ^[2] the stretch between the Leek Road roundabout and Lytton Street by the A500 ^[3] was shut off as engineers assessed the damage. Officials say trains were 'immediately stopped' while the bridge was checked over.

The alarm was raised just after 5.30am with patrolling police officers thought to have come across the collision. Network Rail has said no structural damage was found and services could get back up and running at around 6.15am.

READ: Met Office issues amber warnings as Stoke-on-Trent braced for 'hours of rain' | It comes as the newly named Storm Ciarán is set to sweep the country ^[4]

READ: Series of bizarre incidents in Hanley pub after former landlady's photo moved | Punters had warned Village Tavern staff not to move the picture ^[5]

Meanwhile Staffordshire Police ^[6] say the road closure was lifted around 8am. A Network Rail spokesperson said: "West Coast Main Line rail passengers and road users faced a needless early morning delay today after a heavy goods vehicle hit a railway bridge on City Road in Stoke-on-Trent.

"We immediately stopped trains while we sent someone to the scene to inspect the bridge - fortunately there was no structural damage - and we could run services again within 45 minutes.

“Bridge strikes like these cost taxpayers millions of pounds every year and can be completely avoided. We urge drivers to always know the height and size of their vehicles - including any loads they are carrying - and to carefully plan their routes so our infrastructure isn’t put at risk in this way.”

Police say no action has been taken against the trucker.

References

^{^} Fenton's (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
^{^} As reported by StokeonTrentLive (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
^{^} A500 (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
^{^} Met Office issues amber warnings as Stoke-on-Trent braced for 'hours of rain' | It comes as the newly named Storm Ciarán is set to sweep the country (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
^{^} Series of bizarre incidents in Hanley pub after former landlady's photo moved | Punters had warned Village Tavern staff not to move the picture (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
^{^} Staffordshire Police (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
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