Campaigners welcome rail bridge maintenance switch
HRECampaigners have welcomed plans to take the management of 3,000 railway bridges, tunnels and viaducts away from a government department accused of "cultural vandalism".
National Highways and its forerunner the Highways Agency have had oversight of what is known as the Historic Railways Estate since 2013, but control is to be given to new state body Great British Railways (GBR).
An alliance of campaigners called the HRE Group has been critical of National Highways' efforts, which included an arch near Brough, in Cumbria, being filled with tonnes of concrete in 2021.
This week, Rail Minister Lord Hendy said GBR would have "the capability, knowledge and experience to maintain the estate".
National Highways claimed the arch at Great Musgrave was unstable, but the work was refused retrospective planning permission and the local council ordered it to be removed.
At the time, Upper Eden Railway Heritage Partnership chair Phil Dew said National Highways had ignored objectors and acted with "total impunity", calling it "a case of cultural vandalism and desecration of a highly valued structure".
It was later revealed it cost about £352,000 to remove the infill - about three times the £124,000 it cost to do the work.
Great British Railways is set to take over the operation of many of Britain's rail infrastructure and passenger services a year after a railways bill currently going through the House of Lords is given Royal Ascent.
Speaking during a debate earlier this week, Lord Hendy added the government had "already been clear that the Historical Railways Estate will transfer to GBR" and the bill "contains the appropriate mechanisms to enable this".
The Department for Transport said timelines for the transfer of the estate were still to be decided.
HREHRE Group spokesman Graeme Bickerdike said the switch would be a positive step whenever it happened.
He said: "The broader and deeper expertise that's embedded within Great British Railways - and a more enlightened culture - should result in better outcomes, both for communities and the taxpayer."
He also called on the government to "expedite the transfer" and "intervene to ensure all proposed infilling and demolition schemes are paused pending its completion, unless there is an absolute imperative to act due to demonstrable safety concerns".
