Work has commenced on a groundbreaking project to install a new type of footbridge at Stowmarket rail station. This station will be the first in the UK to feature the innovative and accessible ‘AVA’ bridge, complete with fully-operational lifts.
Funded by the Government’s Access for All scheme, Greater Anglia is enhancing accessibility at the station, where the only current step-free route across platforms is via the level crossing. The £5.5 million project involves replacing the existing concrete footbridge with the new ‘AVA’ footbridge.
The first major milestone was achieved over the weekend of January 11, with the removal of the old footbridge and the installation of a temporary one. Additional preparatory work is now in progress, with the installation of the ‘AVA’ bridge set to begin at the end of May 2025.
During the construction period, passengers should note that parking spaces will be limited as part of the car park will be used by the project team.
The new bridge boasts a modular design, making it more cost-effective and quicker to construct. Integrated lifts will facilitate easier movement between platforms. Designed to be more attractive, reliable, and easier to maintain than traditional footbridges, the stainless steel structure is built to last and requires no painting.
The modular design and ‘plug-and-play’ lifts significantly reduce on-site installation time by over half, benefiting both passengers and local residents.
Marek Dowejko, Greater Anglia’s Asset Programme Manager, said:
“Thanks to this revolutionary new style of bridge, we have been able to use Access for All funding efficiently and provide the best outcome for passengers. The innovative, modular design makes such schemes more deliverable and affordable. We want everyone to be able to have a good journey with us and the plans for Stowmarket are going to make a big, positive difference to people using the station.”
Network Rail’s head of buildings and architecture, Anthony Dewar, said:
“We want to give passengers better journeys and provide a railway that’s better value for money, and to do that we need fresh designs like this. We want a bridge that is open and light so passengers feel secure, a bridge that looks modern, that makes people feel they’re travelling on a modern railway. We also want lifts to be more reliable for customers, while our colleagues want a bridge that’s easy to maintain, that can be installed more quickly and less disruptively… and also doesn’t need painting every 25 years! That’s why we have AVA.”
Chris Wise, Senior Director at Expedition, the Lead Designer and structural engineer for the ‘AVA’ Footbridge, said:
“Of all the good things about ‘AVA’, to us at Expedition, the most exciting is how ‘AVA’ signals the future of infrastructure manufacture. ‘AVA’ demonstrates through its lean design, low carbon form how the industry can evolve: and not just in bridges and lifts. ‘AVA’ changes the landscape: from customised one-off construction to automated, efficient and industrialised manufacture. Saving the taxpayer money, saving lifetime carbon, manufacturing infrastructure products that are super-fast to build, beautiful to use, optimising the process and the product every single time one is made”
Image credit: Greater Anglia
