Media centre

Thursday 28 Oct 2004

CARE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT ON ESK VALLEY RAILWAY LINE

Region & Route:

Work to manage the vegetation on the railway line from Middlesbrough to Battersby will take place from Monday 1 November until Friday 5 November and Monday 8 November until Friday 12 November.  Train services will not be affected. The section of line, which forms part of the Esk Valley route, has dense vegetation, which can – if left unmanaged - pose a safety risk by potentially obscuring signals and reducing sighting for both train drivers and users of level crossings.  Dense vegetation can also result in leaf fall onto the railway tracks.  When leaves get compacted on the tracks under train wheels they form a ’mulch’ - equivalent to black ice on a road - which reduces grip and means trains have to travel at slower speeds. Gordon Dennis, General Manager, Network Rail said: “For safety reasons it is important that we remove some of the vegetation next to the track on this route.  We will be removing non-native vegetation and trees.  But wherever possible we will be encouraging hedging which helps to provide a natural barrier between the track and the communities that live beside it.” Gary Stewart, Arriva Trains Northern’s safety and standards director, added:  “We welcome this work by Network Rail, which will help ensure that trackside conditions on the Esk Valley are well maintained and the route is kept as safe as possible for our trains.”