CPA Good Practice Guide – Use of Mobile Cranes alongside Railways

This Good Practice Guide provides essential guidance for safe use of mobile cranes when working alongside railway infrastructure. It covers the additional hazards and requirements that apply when lifting equipment is operated near rail tracks — crucial for preventing catastrophic incidents affecting both lifting operations and railway safety.

Given the severe risks if a crane or its load collapses onto active railway assets, including potential derailment or fatal accidents, this guide helps companies plan, execute and document lifting operations in a manner that ensures safety, compliance and alignment with industry standards. That is why Cranes for You includes this guide in the Knowledge Centre.

Summary of the Guide

Key points from the CPA Guide include:

• The guide applies to temporarily installed mobile lifting equipment such as wheeled mobile cranes, crawler cranes, lorry-loader cranes, compact cranes, truck-mounted self-erecting tower cranes, telehandlers and excavators used to lift suspended loads.
• It does not cover rail-mounted cranes, gantry cranes, piling rigs, or road/rail units on rail.
• Operating mobile cranes near railways poses a “significant risk” to railway operations, especially during rigging, use, maintenance or de-rigging. A collapse onto the track may cause catastrophic accidents.
• The guide outlines a hierarchy of risk elimination and reduction — discourage unnecessary lifts near rails, prefer safer alternatives, and where lifts are unavoidable, enforce strict planning, configuration and controls.
• Detailed requirements for crane set-up: correct crane configuration, outrigger foundation design and checks, crane positioning, stability margins, and spreader pad/ground-bearing design for outriggers.
• Demands a comprehensive lift plan according to standard crane-safety protocols (e.g. including risk assessment, method statement, ground conditions, load parameters, wind/weather, foundation design, load path, slew restrictions, personnel competence, communications, de-rigging planning) when planning lifts near railway assets.
• Requires early consultation with railway infrastructure owner (in the UK context: Network Rail) if the “compound collapse radius” of crane and load comes within a defined distance from railway property. The lift plan and foundation design must be submitted for review/approval.
• Recommends continuous monitoring: frequent foundation inspections (initial, periodic, after weather or event changes), maintenance & thorough examination of cranes, correct use of lifting accessories and compliance with manufacturer’s load charts — all to ensure safe operations across the project duration.

Practical Relevance for Heavy Lifting Projects

Implementing this guidance in practice helps you:

• Identify early whether a lift near a railway is really necessary — and if yes, plan it with full awareness of extra constraints and risks.
• Ensure that crane selection, setup and foundation design are adapted to railway-proximity conditions, preventing overload or collapse risks that go beyond ‘standard’ lifts.
• Produce a thorough lift plan, risk assessment and method statement, including ground conditions, wind/weather, personnel roles, communications and emergency measures — which helps meet regulatory expectations and proves due diligence towards railway operators.
• Engage railway operator (or asset owner) early when required — avoiding last-minute issues, potential refusals or dangerous onsite improvisation.
• Maintain safety and reduce liability: by following established good practice, you reduce probability of accidents, protect assets (railway + load + crane), and ensure compliance with industry and regulatory standards.
• Apply consistent rigging, inspection, maintenance and record-keeping for all lifts near railways — even long-term installations — ensuring ongoing safety through the lifespan of the project.

Especially relevant for companies operating in sectors where lifts happen near rail infrastructure: civil construction, infrastructure maintenance, rail-related civil works, heavy equipment installation along or near trackbeds, etc.

Official Source / Reference

The guide is published by Construction Plant‑hire Association (CPA), reference CPA 1801 – Requirements for Mobile Cranes Alongside Railways Controlled by Network Rail (first published December 2018).

The full document is publicly available for download via CPA’s website.

Related Knowledge Articles

• ICSA Crane Ground Preparation for Wind Farms
• Checklist for Safe Transport of Oversized Wind Turbine Components
• SPMT Best Practices
• Safety guidelines for rigging and hoisting (e.g. general hoisting & rigging safety manual)

Ready to Improve Safety and Efficiency?

Using the CPA Good Practice Guide ensures that any lifting works near railway infrastructure are planned, executed and documented to the highest safety standards.
Download the CPA document from the link on this page and integrate it into your company’s procedures — so that each mobile-crane lift near rail tracks is as safe, controlled and compliant as possible.