A major step has been taken towards securing the future of Garmouth Viaduct after Moray Council awarded a contract to remove the sections of the historic bridge that collapsed into the River Spey last December.
The council confirmed on Wednesday 21 October that specialist marine and civil engineering contractor TMS Ltd has been appointed following a competitive tender process, bringing the long awaited recovery operation closer to beginning.
Two western spans of the 140 year old viaduct collapsed on 14 December 2025, severing a much loved walking and cycling connection between communities on either side of the river.
The bridge has remained closed ever since, leaving residents and visitors without a crossing that formed part of National Cycle Network Route 1 and provided access to the Speyside Way.
Originally constructed between 1883 and 1886 for the Great North of Scotland Railway, the viaduct carried trains across the Spey until the railway closed in 1968.
It subsequently became a popular route for walkers and cyclists, as well as an important reminder of Moray’s railway heritage.
The collapse prompted serious questions about the condition of the remaining structure and whether the crossing could eventually be restored.
Initial inspections suggested that scour, the erosion of material around bridge foundations caused by moving water, may have contributed to the failure.
However, the council has stressed that a full investigation cannot be completed until the fallen sections have been safely removed.
In January, councillors considered two possible methods of recovering the damaged spans.
Lifting the sections out intact was estimated to cost more than £1 million and carried considerable engineering risks because of the unstable structure.
The preferred alternative involved cutting the collapsed spans into smaller sections before removing them individually, an approach initially estimated at around £500,000.
The removal contract was subsequently put through a two stage procurement process, beginning with an assessment of how the work could be undertaken safely.
When the estimated cost exceeded the allowable limit of the council’s existing procurement framework, the authority opened the physical removal contract to competitive tender.
Four contractors submitted bids, with TMS Ltd ultimately securing the work.
Published procurement information identifies the contract value at approximately £806,000, reflecting the scale and complexity of working within the River Spey.
The contractor will be required to remove the damaged sections from the river, dismantle them and arrange for the material to be taken to an appropriate recycling facility.
Moray Council says initial meetings with the company are planned during October, with a timetable for the work expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
The appointment is an important development, but it does not mean the viaduct is about to reopen.
Once the collapsed spans have been removed, further investigations will be needed to establish the cause of the failure, assess the remaining structure and consider whether restoration is possible.
The council previously confirmed that temporary replacement crossing options could also be examined, although early estimates placed their cost between £1.5 million and £2 million.
Transport Scotland has committed £113,500 towards investigations, assessment of the crossing’s economic importance and initial diversion measures.
For now, the nearest alternative river crossing remains at Fochabers, approximately three miles upstream, while the viaduct itself remains closed.
The latest contract award brings Moray a step closer to understanding what happened to one of its best known landmarks and what might be possible for its future.
