Fears allayed over nuclear rail cargo through Ross

FEARS that railway bridges in Ross-shire could collapse under the weight of nuclear cargo from Dounreay have been allayed by a Dingwall councillor.

Concerns had been growing over new rail shipments of radioactive waste from the decommissioned plant in Caithness to Sellafield in Cumbria.

The first load was shipped out under armed guard about two weeks ago, the first of 90 such journeys which will be made over the next few years.

The train’s route takes the material through many communities in Ross-shire including Tain, Invergordon, Dingwall, Conon Bridge and Muir of Ord.

The cargo, which includes un-irradiated plutonium and highly enriched uranium, is being transported in specially-reinforced cylinders.

Residents in Ross-shire contacted Dingwall-based councillor Margaret Paterson to say they were worried the bridges were not strong enough to withstand the weight of the trains.

Councillor Paterson contacted the council’s director of TEC services, Neil Gillies, for an up-to-date report on the state of the structures.

And this week she said he was “100 per cent certain” they had all been checked and were in excellent order.

Councillor Paterson told the Ross-shire Journal: “The engineer has given me a very firm assurance that there is absolutely no cause for concern.

“He says all the bridges have been thoroughly checked and none are lacking in any way.

“He has also assured me that a very watchful eye will continue to be kept in the future to make sure these shipments are completely safe. If my constituents are concerned, then I am concerned, and I am very glad to be able to reassure them. I am quite satisfied that there is no need for concern.”

A total of 44 tonnes of waste fuel must be moved from the far north for reprocessing at the Cumbrian plant 300 miles away.

Known as breeder material, it will be reprocessed at the Sellafield nuclear site where experts will recover fuel which could be used to generate electricity.

A spokesman for Network Rail, which is responsible for railway bridges, said: “The track north to Caithness already carries a good deal of freight traffic similar to the trains which will be carrying the Dounreay material and is maintained, along with its bridges, to a very high standard.

“We have a dedicated team of bridge engineers whose primary function is to constantly ensure the bridges are kept up to standard. We have a total of some 14,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts in Scotland and any problems with them are extremely rare.

“The maintenance of these structures are very much a bread and butter issue with us and we can assure you we have no concerns over their safety.”

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is spending £60 million on the transfer operation, claiming it is cheaper to transport the waste to Cumbria than deal with it at Dounreay.

Earlier this year the NDA declined to reveal when the journeys would start, saying it could compromise security.

The material represents almost one half of that at Dounreay and a decision on the remainder is due early this year.

Lorraine Mann, a long time Highland opponent of nuclear waste movements, accepted the assurances that the chance of a rail catastrophe were remote.

But she said: “I believe the movement of these shipments to Sellafield are morally wrong.

“There would be a tremendous outcry if it were the other way round and the Sellafield plant was sending such waste to Dounreay.

“The fact is that the plants producing the waste should deal with it at source.

“Some of this material will inevitably be discharged into the sea and the air during reprocessing and already waste from Sellafield is being identified across wide areas of the northern hemisphere.”

A spokesman for Friends of the Earth was similarly opposed to the movement of nuclear waste.

He said: “These movements can never be 100 per cent safe. We believe waste should be dealt with at the sites where it is produced.”