Ely railway bridge in most-hit list is hit - again

A tow truck came to remove the van wedged beneath the bridge near Ely railway station

One of the "most hit" railway bridges in England has been hit - again.

A large van laden with - among other things - trays of tomatoes became firmly wedged under the bridge on Station Road in Ely, Cambridgeshire, at about 05:30 GMT.

A photograph posted in Facebook group Spotted in Ely showed the crushed van.

Network Rail said the bridge, which is currently at number five in its list of those hit the most by traffic, was undamaged and there were no injuries.

"The Stuntney rail bridge [near Ely station] was struck 12 times in the year 2021-22, despite large warning signs and the availability of the Ely southern bypass to avoid the low bridge," a Network Rail spokesperson said.

On this occasion, the company said: "A large vehicle struck the rail bridge next to Ely station in the early hours of this morning.

"Luckily the bridge was undamaged by the collision and the vehicle was removed and the road reopened shortly afterward. There was no impact on the morning train services."

Trays of tomatoes and other fruit and vegetables were removed from the stricken van

In 2020-21, the bridge was the fourth most-hit in the annual table produced by Network Rail. It has since dropped one place in the list.

Greater Anglia, which operates trains on the route, said: "Some services were cautioned for a short space of time following reports of a bridge strike this morning. There were no delays or cancellations as a result."

Cambridgeshire Police confirmed the van driver was not injured and after the vehicle was removed, the road was reopened.

Contents of the van were piled up beneath the bridge before being taken away

Hundreds of people commented on a local Facebook group after the photograph was posted, with many questioning how drivers could fail to see the large signs erected by Network Rail to warn of the low bridge.

Pictures of the aftermath showed the contents of the large van piled up at the side of the road.

They included trays of fresh tomatoes, other fruit and vegetables plus more items lined up beneath the bridge.

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