STATEMENT TO BBC RADIO NORFOLK

Monday 10 Nov 2003

STATEMENT TO BBC RADIO NORFOLK

Region & Route:: | Southern

Network Rail realises that the tree felling is an emotive issue, but there are a number of safety considerations that we must address. It is essential that drivers can clearly see signals which can often be obscured by branches. Also each autumn, leaves falling onto the railhead are compressed by passing trains causing a ‘teflon’ like layer on the rail, hampering braking. This part of the country is particularly susceptible to rail adhesion problems. Furthermore during high winds, there is also an increased risk of trees falling onto the line. Although we recognise that this is not visually appealing to residents it is absolutely necessary for the safety for passengers and staff and this is Network Rail’s primary concern.

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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.

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