Tuesday 20 Jun 2017
Footpath to nature reserve in Medway gains new safety features at main line rail crossing
- Region & Route:
Crossing the London to Chatham railway line near the village of Cuxton, Kent, is now much safer for pedestrians and cyclists thanks to a new warning system installed by Network Rail at Pebble Lane level crossing.
The new system, which is triggered automatically by approaching trains, provides red and green lights and an audible warning to indicate when it’s safe to cross the railway.
Paul Coleman, level crossing manager, Network Rail, said: “Pebble Lane crossing is frequently used, by local people and by walkers and cyclists accessing the Ranscombe Farm nature reserve. While we still advise people to always stop, look and listen at a crossing, this equipment gives us an extra layer of safety to look after people who use the crossing.”
John Halsall, route managing director, Network Rail, said: “Keeping people safe is our number one priority at level crossings, but we also know that fewer safety incidents mean fewer delays and a better service for passengers.
“As part of our Railway Upgrade Plan, we’re spending more than £100m across the country to reduce safety risks at level crossings and boost train performance. Last year on the South East route we closed eight crossings and upgraded safety equipment on eight more. In the year ahead we have plans to close or upgrade safety equipment on a further nine.”
The work is part of the wider East Kent re-signalling programme, a project to upgrade a 33-mile stretch of East Kent’s railway network. The project has centralised signalling in a Gillingham control centre, delivering a safer, more reliable and efficient rail service, and will provide the ability to run extra trains on the network.”
Notes to Editors
- There are more than 6,000 level crossings on the rail network in Britain. Although, it is one of the safest rail networks in Europe, accidents and near misses with trains still occur.
- Network Rail has closed more than 1,000 level crossings as part of its Railway Upgrade Plan to provide a safer railway. Many of these have been replaced with bridges and others diverted to safer alternative routes.
- Where Network Rail can’t close a crossing it aims to reduce the risk by improving sight lines, improving approaches and removing step ups.
- Network Rail also uses new technology, such as the COVTEC audible warning system which has been installed at nine crossings on the route, and red light enforcement cameras, installed at Yapton near Barnham in West Sussex, to reduce level crossing risk.
- Network Rail is investing more than £100m as part of its Railway Upgrade Plan to improve level crossing safety across the nation. Network Rail is also investing in a wide-ranging safety awareness programme, working with national and local organisations, to make using level crossings safer and to help people understand how to use them correctly.
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We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
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