NETWORK Rail is to open a new railway footbridge at Strathbungo in Glasgow’s southside.
The structure allows for the required clearance for the electrification of the Glasgow – Barrhead line.
Network Rail, along with contractor Bam Nuttall Ltd, started work in March 2023 to replace the former 146-year old structure that connects Darnley Road and Moray Place, which originally stood nearby to the new bridge.
Around 5,000 local residents and businesses were invited to vote for their preferred bridge design from three different options in the summer of 2021. The majority of respondents chose a bespoke curved design inspired by the former footbridge, with this receiving 85% of the votes cast.
One of the challenges was in delivering a design that kept with the conservation status of the area and that met with the required safety clearance for electrification within the restricted footprint of the previous structure, Network Rail said.
The new bridge is wider than its predecessor and features a steel truss with a toughened glass parapet to achieve a solid but open look. Features ‘sympathetic’ to the previous bridge are also included, with its black and white colouring and balustrades matching the previous crossing.
The original footbridge was re-homed earlier this year with Caledonian Railway, a volunteer-run charity that maintains and operates a heritage railway in Angus and it will be installed as part of a restoration project at Brechin station.
Over the next few months, engineers will carry out snagging and finishing works to the overhead line equipment as part of the Glasgow – Barrhead project. This will be followed by signalling commissioning and running test trains on the route in the autumn, ahead of the introduction of electric trains from December.
Michelle McCaig, Network Rail’s project manager for the footbridge work, said, “The new footbridge was necessary in allowing us to electrify the line in this location. We understood at an early stage the significance the former footbridge held for the community and I want to thank residents and local businesses for their positive engagement in determining its design.
“I’m confident it will enjoy the same legacy at its predecessor and I’m very grateful to the community for the patience shown not just during the delivery of this work but the wider project. The footbridge represents the completion of the last piece of structural engineering on the Glasgow – Barrhead project, as we move even closer to introducing greener and cleaner electric trains on to the route.”
