§ Ms ShortTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of Railtrack's structures are subject to overstress above levels acceptable by his Department. [28268]
§ Mr. WattsRailtrack has weight capacity obligations under the Transport Act 1968 in respect of bridges carrying highways over the railway. Railtrack has estimated that around 10 per cent. of such bridges owned by it do not meet the weight capacity obligations and estimates the total cost of strengthening these bridges to meet it to be £200 million, of which £150 million is likely to be spent during the period ending 31 March 2004. Railtrack will review this estimate in the light of an assessment of highway overbridges that it is presently carrying out on behalf of local authorities, in consequence of an EU directive which requires the United Kingdom to admit 40 tonne vehicles from 1 January 1999.
§ Ms ShortTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of Railtrack's bridges have a structural assessment indicating a life of(a) up to one year, (b) one to three years, (c) three to five years and (d) over five years. [28270]
§ Mr. WattsStructural assessment is the process by which the safe load of a structure is established and does not itself indicate residual life. Railtrack's rigorous inspection process is designed to discover incipient defects in structures before their integrity is threatened so that preventive action can be taken in good time.
§ Ms ShortTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many bridges are owned by Railtrack; and how many of these have a valid up to date structural assessment; [28224]
192W(2) what estimate has been made of how long it would take to obtain up to date structural assessments for all of Railtrack's bridges, and of the cost involved. [28226]
§ Mr. WattsRailtrack owns around 40,000 bridges, viaducts and tunnels. These structures currently have assessments in compliance with long-standing policies. Railtrack has published more stringent standards covering bridge assessments and is assessing bridges to calculate their strength on a priority basis over an 18-year cycle.
§ Ms ShortTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many bridge reconstructions Railtrack plans to carry out over the next 10 years. [28222]
§ Mr. WattsIn the period to 2004 Railtrack plans to renew 913 bridge spans, excluding those that are part of stations and depots.
§ Ms ShortTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if Railtrack has up to date scour assessments for each of its bridges and other structures which could be affected by flooding. [28554]