Arrest after railway bridge collapse

A man has been arrested for endangering a railway passenger after a railway bridge partially collapsed in Warwickshire when it was hit by a lorry.

The 64-year-old man was also arrested on suspicion of failure to stop following a collision.

Network Rail said the bridge was "seriously damaged" in the crash but confirmed no-one was injured, while rail passengers have been warned of continued disruption on the busy West Coast Main Line.

Passengers were told to expect disruptions to Avanti and West Midlands Railways services until the end of Friday. Warwickshire Police said it was called to Marston Lane, Whitestone, on Thursday afternoon.

The crash caused the road to be closed between Forders Lane and Nuneaton Road, and blocked the core railway line, which runs between London and Scotland via the West Midlands.

On Friday, National Rail said the lines between Nuneaton and Rugby had reopened, but trains were running at a reduced speed and might still be cancelled, revised or delayed.

Passengers were advised to check their routes before travelling and to allow extra time for their journeys.

The West Coast Main Line runs from London Euston to Glasgow Central and Edinburgh, with stations including Manchester Piccadilly, Wolverhampton, Birmingham New Street, Coventry and Milton Keynes along the route.

The bridge collapse affects both Avanti West Coast and London Northwestern Railway services, National Rail added.

A spokesperson confirmed tickets dated for Thursday could be used on services on Friday.

They added that, if passengers no longer wished to travel due to their train being delayed or cancelled, they could request a full refund from where they bought their tickets.

Network Rail there were 1,666 reported bridge strikes between 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.

A spokesperson said most of the vehicles that hit railway bridges were lorries and buses, at a cost of about £13,000 each time – costing about £23m in a year in repairs

Research as part of a campaign, they added, found more than two-fifths of lorry drivers admitted not measuring their vehicle before heading out on the road, and 52% admitted to not taking low bridges into account.

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