Beverley Station footbridge: Work begins on 130-tear-old footbridge at Yorkshire railway station

Engineers began work to strengthen the cast iron structure of the footbridge at Beverley Station on Tuesday (May 22) following its closure in September. Network Rail’s North and East route director Matt Rice said the works were vital to refurbish the footbridge which dates from the 1880s while keeping passengers safe.

A Network Rail spokesperson said the newly restored footbridge is set to open in November once the works are finished. It comes after East Riding Council’s Planning Committee first approved plans to remove the footbridge’s wooden canopy last July.

Councillors heard the Grade II-listed structure could no longer withstand the effects of wind and the weight of passengers, with no viable options to preserve it. There were concerns that parts of the weakened canopy could start falling onto the tracks below. But objectors at the time claimed it had become run down because of a lack of maintenance after standing for 130 years without issue.

The cast iron part of the footbridge was among a series of ‘Type Ones’ installed on North Eastern Railway (NER) lines in the late 19th Century. It is one of the few surviving footbridges of its kind left on the Hull to Scarborough railway line. The wooden canopy is thought to be a later addition after the bridge was first installed in 1889.

Network Rail works are set to see the cast iron base of the bridge cleaned, repaired and repainted and its flooring strengthened so it can remain. The iron bridge parapets are set to be replaced with steel replicas, infilled with mesh panels. Passengers will continued to be diverted along Armstrong Way while the works take place.

Mr Rice said he was pleased the works were now getting underway.

The route director said: “This historic footbridge at Beverley Station is an important piece of history that dates back to the 1880s, so it’s vital that we refurbish it sympathetically whilst ensuring it remains safe for passengers. I’d like to thank passengers for their patience whilst we push ahead with this project, and I look forward to the bridge opening later in the year.”

It comes as separate plans have also been lodged to put tactile paving on the edge of both the station platforms. The Government instructed the paving to be installed in all stations that do not currently after the death of a partially sighted passenger in 2020.

Cleveland Gervais, 53, fell off the platform at London’s Eden Park in London and died after being hit by a passenger train. Plans for the tactile paving at Beverley Station are yet to go before councillors.