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Saturday 25 Jun 2016

Lincoln High Street footbridge open

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Network Rail and Karl M^cCartney MP were today joined by representatives from Lincoln City Council and Lincolnshire County Council to celebrate the opening of the new footbridge over the level crossing at High Street.

Before the bridge opened the crossing was ranked as the highest risk for misuse in the region.

Rob McIntosh, route managing director for Network Rail, said: “I’m so pleased for the people of Lincoln that this day has arrived. Safety on the railway is our absolute priority and building a footbridge on this scale in such a heavily used and built up area has presented lots of challenges, but we have never wavered in our commitment to deliver this footbridge to separate pedestrians and cyclists from trains at High Street level crossing. What we need now is for people to use it, to make it part of their daily routine, and not take a chance by running over the crossing when the barriers are closing.”

The crossing on High Street sees over 140 trains per day pass through; with the latest census report showing almost 35,000 pedestrians or cyclists use it every day. Worryingly, pedestrians are often seen running over the crossing once the lights sequence has begun and even when the barriers have started to lower, significantly increasing the risk of a safety incident. Now Network Rail is urging people to use the new footbridge and not to take a risk by using the crossing once the lights sequence as begun.

Karl M^cCartney MP said: “I am delighted to have attended and played an integral part in the official opening of the High Street footbridge now that Network Rail have, at last, been able to complete this vital transport project that I pledged to deliver for Lincoln before I was first elected as our City’s Member of Parliament.

 “Level crossing safety and appropriate bridges have always been an issue I have campaigned on, but the High Street level crossing, in particular, was one of my key promises to the people of Lincoln and will be of huge benefit to the City.

 “Alongside the coming Brayford Wharf East footbridge and better direct rail services to London, Lincoln will soon be one of Britain’s most rail friendly cities for passengers, pedestrians and motorists alike - a very different situation to when I was first elected in 2010. The missing pieces of the transport jigsaw in Lincoln are all coming together to create a joined up City, exactly what we need to take advantage of Lincoln’s thriving economy in the 21^st Century.”

Lincolnshire County Council's executive member for highways and transportation, Cllr Richard Davies, said: "Network Rail's High Street footbridge forms an important part of our long-term transport vision for Lincoln, which also includes the East West Link Road and the City of Lincoln Council's Transport Hub. Together all of these projects will create more attractive and convenient ways to travel across the city by car, bus, bicycle or on foot. I am pleased to see the first part of this jigsaw complete."

Cllr Ric Metcalfe, Leader of City of Lincoln Council, added: “It’s great to see the footbridge finally in place. This will help the city centre work better and reduce the frustration experienced by many in getting across the line. This is part of a city-wide range of transport related improvements we will see in the coming years, including the Transport Hub, the east/west link road and eastern bypass along with other, further schemes we hope to see.”

The bridge has been opened to the public as soon as possible in order to bring its benefits to the people of Lincoln. Finishing work will continue on site.  In order to complete this safely the bridge will be closed overnight from 11pm to 5am for the next three weeks. The lifts will open by 4 July.

Wes McKee, rail director at contractor Galliford Try added: “The bridge has been a challenging but satisfying project to undertake because of the amount of night work and the complexities of getting plant and materials particularly the steel bridge sections to site in such a busy, central location. We thank the public and road users for their patience and cooperation during the work."

Notes to editors

High Street was ranked as number one on the level crossing risk register for the London North Eastern and East Midlands route. Brayford Wharf level crossing is currently ranked at number three.