Case study: footbridge safety risk
14 March 2024
Overhead line electrocution risk from missing risers reviewed.
Drumry station footbridge © Nigel Thompson / Geograph
There is a gap in the steps of the Drumry railway station footbridge from platform 1 to 2, possibly from a missing stair riser. The reporter to CIRAS was concerned someone could push an object through the gap, which could make contact with the overhead line equipment (OLE) below and put them at risk of electrocution. They were especially concerned about the risk to children during the upcoming school holidays.
Network Rail said the bridge had been built with an open-tread staircase originally, and non-structural timber risers were added later to stop potential contact with the OLE. These risers were starting to fail, and some had been reported as loose during inspections, so they had removed them. Another concern was that they could fall from height and hit passengers or be used for vandalism.
Network Rail raised an order to inspect and reinstate the missing risers. It completed the work within seven days to mitigate the risk. It said that the risers had been removed with the right intentions, but the OLE risk had not been considered holistically. Footbridges near OLE need closed stair risers.
Longer-term, the footbridge refurbishment programme will remove the issue. Network Rail also briefed again that footbridge inspections should include the issue of open treads, so that asset management staff could consider it in their reviews of visual and detailed surveys.