Network Rail is calling for an end to what it says is the “entirely avoidable stupidity” of lorry drivers who crash into bridges because they do not know the height of their vehicles.

It comes after two ‘bridge strike’ incidents in the West Midlands on Wednesday (January 31) and two yesterday (February 1) in Cumbria and West London, all of which caused hours of delays to train customers and motorists.

In the first incident in the West Midlands, shortly after midday, the lorry driver was lucky to escape unscathed after he smashed into the bridge on Summer Road in Erdington, Birmingham, before overturning. This despite clear signs showing the bridge's height.

Erdington bridge strike

Trains on the Cross City Line north, between Birmingham New Street and Lichfield, Staffordshire, were disrupted for hours and local roads well into the evening.

Trains on the route were further impacted when another lorry crashed into railway bridge on St John’s Street, Lichfield, just after 5.30pm. This bridge was struck 13 times in 2016/17.

Then yesterday, two separate incidents in Langwathby, Cumbria, and West Ruislip, London, caused further delays to passengers and motorists while Network Rail investigated for any damage before fully reopening the lines.

Mark Killick, chief operating officer for Network Rail's London North Western route, said: “There’s no excuse for this. Lorry drivers should know their vehicle's height and width - not guess and hope for the best.

"Despite being very clearly marked, these bridges were driven into by irresponsible drivers causing unnecessary disruption to railway and road-users. We will be doing all we can to reclaim the costs we incurred from the haulage companies responsible.”

When a lorry ‘bridge strike’ occurs, Network Rail’s structural engineers always need to check the bridge is safe before train services can resume.

The latest bridge strikes come despite Network Rail’s recently launched ‘What the Truck’ campaign, aimed at getting lorry drivers to know their vehicles’ heights and choose road routes accordingly.

Reported bridge strikes

Year	Underline bridges	Overline bridges
2000/01	1613	111
2001/02	1678	100
2002/03	1914	122
2003/04	1898	142
2004/05	2020	152
2005/06	1890	146
2006/07	2020	126
2007/08	2161	143
2008/09	1736	115
2009/10	1439	113
2010/11	1593	98
2011/12	1541	80
2012/13	1544	101
2013/14	1708	101
2014/15	1670	140
2015/16	1606	136
2016/17	1665	109