[QUOTE=Marco;671275]


Crossed the West Coast mainline at Tamworth on the new bridge that replaced the nearly new bridge. Twenty plus years ago it was a level crossing with a busy road which was considered a safety issue. A bridge was built to the side and when completed the road was kinked to the side over it and the level crossing was shut. Ten years later they widened the West Coast mainline from two tracks to four, and in order to do this they built another new bridge to the side (directly above where the level crossing had been) and then demolished the ten year old bridge. It brings a smile to my face every time I go over the new, new bridge - and now you know why HS2 is going to cost so much!


2004 to 2008 works (Wikipedia)

Prior to this work being carried out, the West Coast Main Line had four tracks between London and Rugby, comprising a "fast line" and a "slow line" in each direction (the slow lines diverting via the Northampton Loop Line). Similarly, there were four tracks north of Stafford. Although parts of the Trent Valley line previously had four tracks, there was an 11-mile (18 km) long section of track between Tamworth and Armitage that had only ever been double track. When plans for the modernisation of the WCML were being developed in the 1990s, it was realised that these arrangements could not accommodate the faster Pendolino trains as well as slower local services. It was therefore decided to increase the number of tracks between Lichfield and Armitage to four; later it was decided to extend this from Tamworth as well, giving four tracks throughout from Nuneaton to Colwich Junction, north of Rugeley. The two outer tracks are "slow", while the "fast" lines are the two innermost tracks.[4]

Work started in 2004, and access roads were built on the eastern side of the line. Substantial earthworks were carried out and 37 bridges were replaced. A level crossing at Hademore was replaced by two road bridges in early 2007. The four-track railway between Lichfield North and Armitage was brought into use on 29 May 2008. Concurrently, Lichfield Trent Valley signal box was closed and within a month had been demolished. On 8 September the same year, the four-track railway between Tamworth and Lichfield came into use and Tamworth signal box closed.

So 37 new bridges? Don't you just love civil engineers?