The Glenfinnan viaduct was made famous for its role in the initial Harry Potter films that saw the Hogwarts Express go over it numerous times to reach the famous school of witchcraft and wizardry
Network Rail have vowed to repair an "urgent defect" discovered four months ago on the Glenfinnan Viaduct, known to the world as ‘The Harry PotterBridge’.
Last November, a survey of the iconic viaduct in Lochaber led to an ‘urgent defect report’ being issued after cracking was discovered in the Upside Refuge in Span 5. A refuge is a recessed area clear of the tracks where anyone on the bridge can shelter from an oncoming train.
The survey warned: ”A vertical fracture runs off a horizontal fracture….to the full length of the refuge.”
The Network Rail report adds: ”The additional concrete support lintel that have been added along underside of all refuges in recent years is also fractured and displaced in this refuge, indicating further movement.”
Papers released under Freedom of Information laws show the need for essential repairs and maintenance of the viaduct was identified back in 2019, when ‘fractures’ were detected throughout the structure.
In September 2020, a report by consultants Tony Gee discovered two Priority 1 faults, a defect considered to present ‘a significant existing risk to public or personnel safety and / or structural integrity or stability.”
Three more Priority 2 faults were discovered, presenting “the potential for development of a significant risk to public or personnel and or structural integrity or stability.”
Papers show that experts at Dundee University’s Concrete Technology Unit - drafted in to study the reason for the concrete’s deterioration - concluded the bridge was suffering from ‘leaching of calcium’ due to water pouring down through supports.
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