The Construction Plant-hire Association’s Crane Interest Group (CIG) and Tower Crane Interest Group (TCIG) have collaborated with Network Rail to produce a 58-page guide called Requirements for Lifting Equipment Adjacent to Railways Controlled by Network Rail.
Until now, guidance in this area was split between two separate CPA publications – CPA1402 (mobile cranes) and CPA1801 (tower cranes). Both have now been superseded and combined into a single document providing consistent requirements for all crane types operating near railways.
The new guidance aligns with Network Rail’s CIV0063 (Issue 2): Piling, Drilling, Crane, MEWP and SMPT Operations Adjacent to the Railway document, ensuring that both contractors and client work from the same technical baseline. According to the CPA, this alignment eliminates duplication, clarifies responsibilities and provides a seamless link between Network Rail’s internal procedures and CPA’s best practice advice for contractors and lifting teams.
The new consolidated crane guidance introduces a defined hierarchy of control for assessing risk, with more clarity on oversailing, collapse radius, working range limitation and the notification process for planned operations. The guidance also sets practical expectations for early engagement, planning liaison and communication between site teams and Network Rail representatives.
It is available from
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
