The M6 in Cumbria reopened 13 hours ahead of schedule after a new 4,200-tonne railway bridge was installed over the motorway near Penrith over the weekend.

Clifton railway bridge has been replaced by Network Rail and principal contractor Skanska as part of a £60m programme to future‑proof the West Coast Main Line.

On Saturday 10 January, the 130‑metre structure was inched into its final position with millimetre accuracy. Time‑lapse footage shows the pre‑built bridge, prepared after last weekend's demolition, being driven into place on specialist transporters with more than 600 wheels.

To enable the complex operation, two unprecedented 60‑hour full closures of the M6 between junctions 39 and 40 were scheduled over consecutive weekends. Despite sub‑zero temperatures and poor weather, the road reopened shortly before 4pm on Sunday 11 January, allowing diversion routes to be lifted much earlier than planned. The previous weekend’s works also finished early, with both carriageways reopening 70 minutes ahead of time.

Christian Irwin OBE, Network Rail North West and Central region Capital Delivery director, said: "It's a testament to the hard work of hundreds of people that we’ve been able to install this huge new structure both successfully and speedily. We've been in close contact with National Highways throughout so we could capitalise on that and get the M6 reopen over half a day ahead of schedule to alleviate pressure on local roads.

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"I'd like to once again thank drivers for adhering to the road diversions, and also thank the local communities impacted by them this weekend, so we could carry out this vital work to secure journeys for both road and rail users in the future. Thanks also to the hundreds of people who came to see us move the bridge into place yesterday and the support and well wishes from residents in Clifton. Our focus now turns to final bridge checks before we reinstate the tracks, overhead power lines and signalling systems so we can fully reopen the West Coast Main Line by 5am on Thursday."

Steve Mason, National Highways programme delivery manager, said: "We'd like to once again thank motorists, and particularly local residents, for their patience and support while these works have been ongoing. We're pleased to have been able to lift the diversion routes much earlier than planned.

"This is the first time in recent memory the M6 has been closed for whole weekends and follows years of careful planning with Network Rail. Some 48,000 vehicles use this section of the M6 daily but we chose a time of the year when traffic volumes are at their lowest. This was an incredibly complex operation and reopening the M6 13 hours early is a tremendous achievement. Despite severe weather conditions, the teams involved worked tirelessly to deliver this vital, one-in-a-lifetime project to future-proof one of the most important railway lines in the country."

Rosario Barcena, Skanska UK rail programme director, said: "Over the course of the weekend, we’ve worked closely with Network Rail and National Highways to re-prioritise our work in order that we could re-open the motorway much earlier than planned. Before midday this was for emergency services, and now to all road-users.

"It's been achieved thanks to our whole team, including our amazing supply chain partners. They've worked tirelessly across the weekend to successfully install the new Clifton railway bridge, a hugely complex and precise operation, and now re-open the motorway."