After the first weekend of 2026 saw Clifton railway bridge demolished, the second weekend saw its replacement wheeled in to place.
The bridge has been replaced by Network Rail and its principal contractor Skanska as part of a 拢60m investment to make the West Coast Main Line fit for the future.
On Saturday 10th January the new 4,200-tonne structure, measuring 130 metres long, was manoeuvred into place by Dutch heavylift specialist Mammoet using four self-propelled modular trailers (SPMTs) with more than 600 wheels in total.
To allow the project to take place, two 60-hour closures of the whole motorway were scheduled between junctions 39 and 40 over consecutive weekends.
Despite sub-zero temperatures and adverse weather, the motorway reopened shortly before 4pm on Sunday 11th January 鈥� a full 13 hours ahead of schedule.
With the bridge installation nearly complete, once final checks are complete this afternoon railway teams can get to work installing new track and reconnecting overhead power lines and signalling systems over the renewed structure. While that takes place the railway remains closed between Oxenholme and Carlisle until start of service on Thursday 15th January.
Christian Irwin, Network Rail North West and Central region capital delivery director, said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 a testament to the hard work of hundreds of people that we鈥檝e been able to install this huge new structure both successfully and speedily. We've been in close contact with National Highways throughout so we could capitalise on that and get the M6 reopen over half a day ahead of schedule to alleviate pressure on local roads.鈥�
He added: 鈥淥ur focus now turns to final bridge checks before we reinstate the tracks, overhead power lines and signalling systems so we can fully reopen the West Coast Main Line by 5am on Thursday.鈥�
National Highways programme delivery manager Steve Mason said: 鈥淭his is the first time in recent memory the M6 has been closed for whole weekends and follows years of careful planning with Network Rail. Some 48,000 vehicles use this section of the M6 daily but we chose a time of the year when traffic volumes are at their lowest. This was an incredibly complex operation and reopening the M6 13 hours early is a tremendous achievement. Despite severe weather conditions, the teams involved worked tirelessly to deliver this vital, one-in-a-lifetime project to future-proof one of the most important railway lines in the country.鈥�
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