Waverley Viaduct

History

Waverley Viaduct was built in 1861 to carry “The Waverley Route” which ran from Carlisle to Edinburgh. The name was inspired the Waverley novels written by Sir Walter Scott who lived near the route of the line and had a keen interest the railways. Throughout its lifetime the line was never too well used due to the sparsely populated local area. The severe gradients also made the line difficult and costly to maintain. 

The Waverley route was named in the Beeching report for closure and despite a significant opposition, the line closed in 1969. The last train ran on 4 January where, on arrival to Harwick, it was met with hundreds of protesters baring placards and carrying a large black coffin to protest against the closing of the line. 

Although a section of the old line was reopened in 2015, Waverley viaduct continues to be without trains. 

About the structure

The viaduct features six spans with skewed arches due to the curve of the structure. The square and skew spans are approximately 16.2m and 17.0m respectively which gives an angle of skew of 18°. The arch barrel profiles are segmental, constructed from brick with stone voussoirs with rises of 3.8m. The spandrel walls, wingwalls and pilasters are constructed from stone blocks. Of the four piers, two of them are located within the river. 

Remedial repairs were undertaken in 2014 with included repointing open joints, mortaring fractures and cutting out and replacing spalled masonry. 

What is the project?

Following an assessment in 2024 the structure was found to be at a high risk of scour. The proposed works will provide a scour protection system to offer protection to the high-risk elements which will reduce the risk of scour.

Additionally, to improve the longevity of the structure, the proposals include installing a loose laid waterproofing system and new parapet fences along the length of the viaduct. Furthermore, a steel sheet pile system with a reinforced concrete cap is to be installed around piers two and three to provide long term protection to the piers from fluvial scour.

The current programme of works is for mobilisation of works to commence in spring/summer 2027. The window for working in stream will be restricted between June and September due to River Eden’s designation as a special area of conservation.