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Wednesday 14 Oct 2015

Residents invited to learn more about plans to reopen Plumpton level crossing

Region & Route:

| Southern

Network Rail will be holding a public meeting chaired by Maria Caulfield MP on Friday October 16 to update residents on plans to reopen the level crossing in Plumpton.

Members of the Network Rail team will be on hand to answer questions and update residents on the proposed plans between 6pm and 7.30pm at Plumpton Racecourse.  There is no need for local residents to book a place and all are welcome.

Plans to replace the current level crossing, including removing the current listed gates, were rejected by Lewes District Council’s Planning Committee on 30th September.  Unfortunately, by this time other work to upgrade the signalling at the level crossing site had already taken place, meaning that the original level crossing cannot, for safety reasons, be reopened immediately without additional works being undertaken.

Steve Knight, Network Rail Area Director, said: “We are sorry that we are continuing to cause disruption to local residents and the community at Plumpton. Our priority in the short term is to reopen the level crossing in Plumpton as soon as possible; we can only do this when we have safe way to do this that Lewes District Council support. We will be outlining these plans on Friday evening as well as explaining why it is not possible to immediately reinstate the crossing and why the crossing, in its original state poses an unacceptable safety risk.”

Maria Caulfield, Member of Parliament for Lewes said: “It’s important that Network Rail finds a solution to this problem as soon as possible.  The residents of Plumpton Green are understandably upset by the disruption caused by the closure and they want answers.  Network Rail however has a responsibility to ensure that the crossing at Plumpton is safe for all who use it. I hope the meeting on Friday will give both sides an opportunity to discuss the options available, allowing us to find a solution and reopen the road as soon as possible.”

If residents have a personal mobility requirement and will struggle to attend the meeting we would ask that they contact james.bates@networkrail.co.uk as soon as possible.

For further information about the project, residents can contact Network Rail’s 24-hour national helpline on 03457 11 41 41.

NOTES TO EDITORS

• The drop-in session will take place from 6pm till 7.30pm at Plumpton Racecourse, East Sussex BN7 3AL. 
• If travelling by vehicle please arrive from the direction of Lewes, approaching from the south on Plumpton Lane.
• Attached are photographs that highlight why the level crossing poses a high safety risk.
  • Picture 1 - The gates not closing fully.
  • Picture 2 - Worn gate locking mechanism.
• There are approximately 6,100 level crossings in Britain. Level crossings were built with the Victorian railway more than 100 years ago when there were far fewer trains, travelling at slower speeds and fewer people and road traffic. If the railway were being built today, level crossings would not be used.
• There are many different types of crossings, all with different safety measures in place from signs, to barriers and klaxons. See http://www.networkrail.co.uk/level-crossings/types-of-level-crossing/.
• There were eight pedestrian fatalities and two road vehicle fatalities at level crossings in 2014/15.
• At seven, the number of collisions between trains and road vehicles was below the 10-year average of 11 per year.
• Network Rail is investing £100m in the next four years to reduce risk at level crossings and improve safety. The ongoing programme of activity includes:
• Network Rail’s dedicated community safety team which aims to reduce railway crime
• Level crossing closure programme which has seen more than 900 closed over the past six years
• Investment in upgrading and improving level crossings
• Mobile camera enforcement vans
• Developing better and cost-effective ways of detecting and recording level crossings misuse