Media centre

Tuesday 30 Mar 2021

Network Rail completes safety upgrades at three Suffolk crossings

Region & Route:

Eastern: Anglia

Three level crossings in Woodbridge, Suffolk have been upgraded with new equipment that make them safer.

In September last year, Network Rail began work to upgrade three level crossings on the East Suffolk Line:

• Haywards (on Tide Mill Way)
• Ferry Lane
• Jetty Avenue (on Jetty Lane)

Full barriers have now been installed at Haywards and Ferry Lane level crossings which cover both sides of the road and prevent vehicles from weaving around them, making the crossing safer. These crossings have also been fitted with obstacle detection which automatically detects anything that may be obstructing the crossings, for example a pedestrian or a car. At these crossings you must stop when the lights show and wait until the barriers raise to continue your journey.

At the crossing on Jetty Avenue, miniature stop lights and an audible warning system have been installed which give the green light when it is safe to cross. At this crossing, an audible warning and a red light will activate when a train is approaching. If the red light is still on and the audible warning is still sounding after the train has passed another train will be coming. You should only cross when the green light is showing and no warning is sounding. Drivers of large or slow vehicles, or those with animals should phone for permission to cross before proceeding.

All three level crossings also benefit from newer signalling equipment which helps signallers understand where trains are in relation to the level crossings. This means that the level crossing alarms at the Haywards and Ferry Lane road crossings can be safely reduced from around 70 seconds long to approximately 20 seconds long for each train passage, to reduce the noise experienced by nearby residents.

These safety improvements are vital in this area where there has been significant amount of residential development over recent years. The new equipment will be better able to cope with this higher demand as well as enabling services to run safely and reliably.

Ellie Burrows, Network Rail’s route director for Anglia, said: “We’ve seen an increase in the number of pedestrians and traffic using these crossings and this work is vital to improve safety for everyone using them. We’ve also carried out work that will keep rail services running safely and smoothly on this line busy line.”

For more information about how to stay safe at level crossings and the different types of crossing go to www.networkrail.co.uk/levelcrossings