Construction of a new £60m railway bridge set to go over the M6 has been completed.

The bridge, which is 130m (426ft) tall and weighs around 3,000 tonnes, will replace the old Clifton bridge which crosses the M6 near Penrith in Cumbria and carries trains travelling on the West Coast Main Line.

Network Rail said the old bridge would be removed and the new one installed in the new year, leading to motorway and railway closures.

William Brandon, Network Rail's project manager, said the bridge would improve the "safety and reliability" of the line for passengers and reduce train delays. "We are working with National Highways to reduce any disruption caused by this vital upgrade," he said.

No trains will run on the West Coast Main Line from Oxenholme to Carlisle between 31 December and 15 January 2026.



Chris Liptrot, operations director at Avanti West Coast, said services between the North West, Carlisle and Scotland would be amended during this time. He said passengers should plan ahead and check the National Rail website before travelling.

The M6 will also be shut on two consecutive weekends - 2 to 5 January and 9 to 12 January - in both directions between junctions 39 at Shap and 40 near Penrith. Diversions will be in place, with routes to be released closer to the time.

Watch M6 Clifton Bridge get demolished as motorway reopens

A concrete railway bridge over a motorway has been demolished and the road has reopened.

The M6 between junctions 39 at Shap and 40 near Penrith was closed over the weekend as part of West Coast Main Line works, which have also seen disruption to train services.

The 130m-long (427ft) bridge has been removed and a new 4,200-tonne steel and concrete structure will be moved into place during a further 57-hour motorway closure this coming weekend.

Christian Irwin, Network Rail North West and Central director, said it had been a "mammoth task" to demolish the bridge. Irwin said: "This £60m project forms part of our major investment programme to improve journeys on the West Coast Main Line for passengers and freight for generations to come."

The M6 will be open to motorists this week before it closes at 20:00 GMT on 9 January until 05:00 on 12 January.



Rosario Barcena, Skanska UK rail programme director, said the team had completed all of the work safely and the foundations had been laid for the new bridge. He said: "It's been an incredible effort by the entire team to complete the demolition of the former Clifton Bridge, working 24/7 across the weekend to make sure that the M6 motorway could reopen on Monday morning. Technically it was a complex operation which we managed with great precision and care."

Barcena thanked drivers in the region for their patience while the road was closed.

It's a BBC video news clip, 24 seconds long: click on this link to view.