Media centre

Thursday 12 Feb 2026

Emergency closure of Barton Road level crossing

Region & Route:

Eastern

| Eastern: East Midlands

Network Rail has today (Thursday 12 February) made the difficult decision to close Barton Road footpath crossing in Long Eaton as a temporary, emergency measure to protect public safety.

Users of this footpath crossing need to stop, look and listen before they cross the railway. Recent checks by Network Rail revealed two areas of concern: 

• An increase in vulnerable users who may struggle to cross the railway in a reasonable time – this can include the young, elderly, those with large items such as bikes, and those with mobility difficulties.
• The sighting from the safe vantage point at the crossing is partly obscured by overgrown vegetation.

Richard Tew, Network Rail head of health, safety and environment, said:

“Given our understanding of the risk at this crossing, we feel an emergency closure is the only safe option. We‘re sorry for the disruption this will cause to the local community.

“We‘ll urgently carry out vegetation work in the coming days to make sure users can see clearly if a train is approaching. This should enable us to reopen the crossing for public use.“

A new rubber deck and gates were recently installed at Barton Road crossing and the equipment is in good working order.  

During the temporary closure, members of the public should use nearby Meadow Lane crossing to cross the railway.