Media centre

Wednesday 24 May 2006

ON THE RIGHT TRACK: COUNCILLORS SURVEY CLEAN RAILWAY LINES IN WORTHING

Region & Route:

| Southern

Local councillors Derek Whittington and Ann Barlow have seen for themselves how rail passengers in the Worthing area are set to benefit from a better view and cleaner tracks thanks to a working partnership between Network Rail, West Sussex County Council and Worthing Borough Council. Network Rail invited the councillors to mark the completion of the first phase of work by taking a ride in the cab of a train from Lancing to Goring, through five miles of freshly cleaned litter and graffiti-free track. David Wilks, Network Rail territory maintenance director said: “Each year in Sussex, Network Rail spends more than £250,000 removing graffiti and more than £500,000 clearing litter and disposing of fly tipping that has been illegally dumped on our land. We also spend £1m fixing fencing that has been vandalised. Joining up with local authorities proves to be a very effective way of making this money go further, and of helping to prevent the problems reoccurring so we are delighted that we have the support of West Sussex County Council and Worthing Borough Council.” County Councillor Derek Whittington said: "Our partnership working with Network Rail and the train operators is important to the County Council, and I was very impressed with the work that has been done to remove graffiti and clear litter from the trackside. This all helps improve the general environment for our residents and rail users. "The County Council is keen to encourage a modal shift from the car to public transport, and I am sure that having a rail infrastructure that is litter and graffiti free will make using services even more attractive to the travelling public." Cabinet Member Ann Barlow said: “A recent survey conducted by Worthing Borough Council  revealed that the priority issue for local residents is rubbish and litter and last week we held our first clean up week to tackle the problem. Today I’ve seen the constant hard work Network Rail has been putting in to keep the railway clean. I’m grateful for their contribution to our efforts and look forward to seeing more evidence of our continued working relationship, resulting in a cleaner Worthing”. Members of the public are urged to use Network Rail’s 24-hour National Helpline – 08457 11 41 41 - to report incidences of graffiti, litter, fly tipping and other issues on the railway. Offensive graffiti is always removed within 24 hours.