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Friday 23 Oct 2020

Network Rail takes councillor for a walk with a difference as lineside vegetation project continues in Whitstable and across Kent

Region & Route:

Southern: Kent

| Southern

Railway neighbours in Whitstable, Kent, will have seen and heard the sounds of hard work the past few weeks as Network Rail and its contractors continue a project to clear vegetation from tracks through the town.

Trees and shrubs are being sensitively cut back to improve the safety of trains and help solve some track problems too, while still providing a screen for lineside neighbours.

It’s not always a popular job and the work has been planned to preserve the lineside environment and explain to communities what is going on. Canterbury City Councillor Ashley Clark was given a tour of the line from the station up to the golf course to see what was being done.

He said: “I was pleased to see the lengths to which Network Rail and Coombes have gone to ensure this has been done properly. They’ve taken out what has to be taken out but they have been leaving as much as they could. It’s important to get the balance right between nature and safety, but safety has to remain paramount.

“We all appreciate nature and it’s importance, but it’s about getting that balance right and communicating with local people so they understand what the railway is doing and why. We saw today people were offering cups of tea and were pleased to talk to us, which shows how important it is that the relationship between the community and the railway is harmonious.

“If people do have concerns, I’m always happy to help with any worries people have and my door is always open.”

There are several reasons for cutting back vegetation:

• Trees can fall on the railway during storms, causing delays or even being hit by trains.
• Trees and shrubs cause problems with train drivers seeing signals and people at level crossings getting a good view of oncoming trains.
• Leaf fall causes delays to trains when they are crushed under train wheels, creating a layer like “black ice”.
• Certain types of tree, such as oaks and even sycamores, unevenly soak up moisture from the trackbed, causing dips in the track. This is the case in Whitstable, where a 30mph speed limit has been applied.

An annual tree survey identifies trees that could be a threat to trains in storms, either because of their size or their condition, and these are removed separately.

Elsewhere in Kent, Network Rail is testing seven different vegetation management techniques across 70 different sites to understand the cost and environmental impact of different  approaches. This will help inform the company's future approach to lineside management.

Network Rail project manager David Alderson said: “We cut back trees and shrubs to seven metres from the track but in areas where there are houses and gardens we leave a screen where we can. While there may be an immediate change of view, the work actually allows smaller plants to grow through. We want to manage the use of our land in a way that protects, preserves and enhances wildlife, as well as protects trains and passengers.

“The key thing is that we communicate to people what we’re doing and why it is important and I appreciate we haven’t always been able to do that. We want to be a good neighbour to people.”

Kevin Coltart, business development manager from contractor COOMBES, said:  “We have learned over the years that the key to the successful outcome of any job starts with our investment right at the very planning stages, working together with local communities, lineside neighbours, landowners and Network Rail’s Stakeholders. It also enables us to support the community economically wherever possible.  The site walkout was one example of how valuable collaboration worked together for the good of the neighbouring community, at the same time, facilitating decent Lineside Vegetation Management practice for signal sighting and overall track safety.”

Craig Mills, COOMBES Environment Manager, said: “It makes such a big difference when our teams are up trees or working in cuttings that people know why they are doing it. Some people will want the trees cut back, but their neighbour might not and the key thing is to explain to people and work with them, so even if they don’t agree with what we’re doing, they understand it.”

“Managing vegetation actually enables improvements in the biodiversity, as it allows important species that would have been dominated to grow up. In fact, today we saw evidence of that already happening in Whitstable.”

“It was great to hear our neighbours talking to their local councillor with us this weekend and I hope people have a better idea of what we are doing.”

Along with vegetation work, engineers also replaced aged rails in the Seasalter area.