The UK’s Rail Accident Investigation Branch will publish a safety digest after a maintenance train brought down a Victorian bridge on a heritage railway.

Dean Forest Railway’s bridge at St Mary’s Halt in Gloucestershire near the border between England and Wales was struck on 14 August. The train included a wagon carrying a 360-degree excavator with the boom positioned too high to pass under the footbridge. There were no casualties, although part of the structure landed on the train which was carrying volunteers.

The aftermath of the bridge strike at St Mary’s Halt. Credit: RAIB

The cast- and wrought-iron lattice structure dates back to 1892 and was restored six years ago after a fundraising campaign. It had previously been closed for twelve years. Dean Forest Railway runs along part of the former Severn & Wye Railway, and the bridge is a piece of that company’s original infrastructure.

The heritage line was reopened on 19 August.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch is UK a government agency that finds the cause of rail accidents in the UK with the aim of improving safety and preventing similar incidents.