Bridgeworks on the East London railway line extension, UK

The East London railway line extension is one of the most intensive railway reconstruction projects undertaken in the UK. An existing operational railway with Victorian infrastructure has been taken out of service so that it can be extended and upgraded to provide a high-quality metro-style passenger service across London. The project encompasses integrating modern bridges into Victorian railway infrastructure, building new bridges and viaducts in the centre of London and minimising disruption while putting new bridges across the mainlines into two of London's railway termini. The paper describes the bridge structures and how they are being built. Two particular design issues with regard to the maintenance of railway bridges are highlighted.