Pedestrians in St Austell will soon be benefiting from a unique new footbridge which was installed by Network Rail over the weekend of 20-21 Octobue during a total line closure. The new bridge at Alexandra Road is the first of its kind in the UK and is constructed from a form of plastic called FRP (Fibre Reinforced Polymer).

Network Rail has invested £435,000 in this new technology and is now looking at whether FRP can be used to renew bridges on other parts of the rail network replacing traditional materials such as steel, concrete or timber.

John Gill, Network Rail’s Area General Manager for the West Country explained: “Network Rail is committed to looking for innovative engineering solutions and the new footbridge at St Austell is a great example of this. FRP is very strong, but much lighter than steel and it also has the advantage of being more cost effective to maintain. Unlike steel which tends to rust and regularly needs repainting, this new bridge will need virtually no maintenance – which means Network Rail can concentrate its resources on improving the railway for passengers.”

The bridge will open to pedestrians on 3 November.

The St Austell footbridge was designed by Parsons Brinkerhoff and installed by contractors Nuttall