More repairs planned for Royal Border Bridge in Berwick

Network Rail engineers have risen to the challenge of working with the 170-year-old landmark so far. With over 2.5 million bricks stretching up to 40 metres high, the full extent of the repairs was hard to pinpoint from the ground.

Upon close inspection, specialist engineers have decided to grasp the opportunity to carry out even more repairs, improving efficiency and helping the bridge look its best for years to come. This does mean that the renovations are now expected to last until spring 2023.

Work began at the start of this year to repair all 28 arches of the Grade I listed bridge, which sits across the River Tweed and transports freight goods and passengers between England and Scotland along the East Coast Main Line.

Innovatively, teams have used a rope access system to save time and millions of pounds, rather than building bulky and extensive scaffolding spanning the length and height of the bridge.

Periods of industrial action and delays in getting the listed building consent have also contributed to the project’s extension.

Ben Brooks, portfolio delivery director for Network Rail said: “We’re making great progress so far on the Royal Border Bridge repairs, but we’ve spotted the opportunity to go even further.

“We’ll be carrying out additional repairs to bring the famous bridge back to its former glory, and it’ll mean that we won’t need to complete any major maintenance work on it for the next 30 years.

“Unfortunately, this does mean that we’ll be working until spring 2023. We’re continuing to work with our partners to minimise any disturbance to the community and the footpath will remain open throughout.”

Jake Walton, senior asset engineer with Network Rail, said: “Over time the masonry does degrade. We see things like hairline fractures, hairline cracks, ‘drummy’ brickwork, things falling from it.

"The last intervention we did like this was in 1993, so roughly 30 years, and over that time it’s degraded further so what we’re doing now is safeguarding that capability by general brickwork repairs throughout. That will last us approximately another 30 years.”