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Praise for Echo as plans bring light at the end of the tunnel

The Northern Echo has come in for praise from the Prime Minister for its campaign over the safety of railway bridges.

The Government has announced plans which will address the issue of who is responsible for repairs on railway bridges, and Tony Blair has thanked the Echo for keeping the issue under the spotlight.

Despite widespread concern over the crumbling state of many road bridges over the East Coast Main Line, urgently needed work was paralysed by a row between local councils, the Highways Agency and the rail industry over who was responsible for picking up the bill.

But the Government has now moved to break the deadlock with a national funding protocol which will dictate how safety work on railway bridges should be funded and spell out clearly who is responsible for what.

It also details enhanced guidance on risk assessments and measures to help reduce the risk of vehicles accidentally leaving the road and getting on to the railway.

The long-awaited move follows the Northern Echo’s Scandal of the Railway Bridges campaign, launched two years ago after ten people died in the Selby rail disaster – and caused by a Land Rover plunging off the M62 onto the East Coast Main Line.

In the aftermath of the disaster Echo photo-journalist Gavin Engelbrecht inspected more than 50 railway bridges between Newcastle and York and discovered that many were in a poor state of repair with inadequate safety barriers.

Mr Blair said: “There was a pressing need to clarify responsibility for the safety of railway bridges.

“I commend The Northern Echo’s determined campaign for keeping this important issue at the forefront of our minds.”

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