CPA releases new guidance for cranes near railways

The new guidance aligns fully with Network Rail’s CIV0063 (Issue 2): Piling, Drilling, Crane, MEWP and SMPT Operations Adjacent to the Railway, ensuring that both industry and the client authority work from the same technical baseline. 

The publication provides the foundational knowledge and all requirements to mitigate any potential effects on railway infrastructure when erecting, dismantling and carrying out lifting operations where a crane is working next to a railway boundary. 

It introduces a defined hierarchy of control for assessing risk, with enhanced clarity on oversailing, collapse radius, working range limitation and the notification process for planned operations. 

Katie Kelleher, technical publications and careers manager at CPA, told Construction Management: “The most impressive part of this new guidance is the collaboration behind it. This has been genuine, 100% partnership working between the CPA, our industry groups and Network Rail. 

“By bringing everything into one unified document and fully aligning with Network Rail’s requirements, we’ve removed a lot of the previous ambiguity and created a clear, consistent baseline for safe lifting near railways. 

“It really shows what can be achieved when we all sit around the table with the same goal – improving safety, clarity and understanding across the sector.”