Work completed on Stainforth and Keadby canal's unique sliding bridge

Work to strengthen walls and replace the rails and track equipment over the Keadby canal have been completed, according to Network Rail.

The sliding railway bridge, near Scunthorpe, carries trains over the Stainforth and Keadby canal.

More than 100 engineers have been carrying out a "mammoth programme" of work since 17 February.

The original Keadby sliding bridge dates to the late 1800s and is said to be the only one of its kind in the UK.

It was constructed in 1925 by Sir William Arrol of Dalmarnock, who had also built bridges in Egypt, Australia and Liverpool - as well as London's Tower Bridge and the Forth Bridge in Scotland.

Among the sliding drawbridge's unusual features are that it is battery operated by 64 batteries that are "trickle charged" like those of a submarine.

As part of the works, a section of the canal was drained to allow a 24.5 tonne concrete slab to be installed to strengthen the waterway's wall.

The bridge had wooden beams replaced by metal supports and 656ft (200m) of new rails installed.

Sam Ellerby, the scheme's project manager at Network Rail, said: "These vital upgrades will improve reliability and deliver smoother journeys for passenger and freight services for years to come."

A project to replace the 108-year-old footbridge at Althorpe station has also started and is expected to be finished in April.

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