IMPROVEMENTS TO HAYLE STATION

Thursday 23 Nov 2006

IMPROVEMENTS TO HAYLE STATION

Region & Route:: | Wales & Western: Wales & Borders; | Wales & Western

Access improvements will shortly be underway at Hayle station to ensure the safety of its footpath level crossing. A new entrance to the station will be created, surfaces will be levelled to allow easy disabled access, fencing enhancements will be made and there will be improved signage for station users. With the co-operation of First Great Western, the works will commence on Monday 27 November and there will be minimal disruption to passengers during these works. As part of the safety improvements, non-station users will no longer be permitted to use the foot crossing due to the high levels of mis-use by members of the public. Roy Hamlin, Network Rail’s General Manager for the West Country, said: “Persistent abuse of this crossing has meant that we have had to undertake these improvements before there’s a serious accident. Only the other day, there was a near miss with four girls and we’ve even had motorcyclists using the foot crossing as a short cut to the main road. Station users will still be able to use the crossing but it will be closed off to members of the public.” Sara Rogers, First Great Western’s Station Manager for the West, said: "It’s a great shame that this foot crossing needs to be closed to those who are not station users due to the selfish actions of a small number of people. However, on the grounds of safety we have no other option but to support Network Rail in their action."

Notes to editors

The foot crossing at Hayle Station is not a public right of way. Network Rail launched its ‘Don’t Run the Risk’ level crossing campaign earlier in year aiming to change the behaviour of level crossing users – to protect themselves and reduce the danger to train passengers. Although deaths at level crossings in the UK are low by international standards, level crossing misuse now represents the largest single risk of train accident on the railway. The work on this campaign is running in parallel with other Network Rail and industry initiatives to minimise the safety risk at level crossings. These include: • Development of solutions which could lead to the replacement of some crossings • Development of obstacle detection systems • Development of lower cost level crossing systems • Developing better and cost-effective ways of detecting and recording level crossings misuse • Working with the Police and Crown Prosecution Service to improve the prosecution of offenders • Highlighting the issues of level crossings to key political stakeholders

Contact information

Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41

Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries

Journalists
Network Rail press office -Western route
MediaRelationsWestern@networkrail.co.uk

About Network Rail

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.

Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.

Media centre