Monday 16 Oct 2017
Stone and Wedgwood residents invited to learn about upcoming railway vegetation work
- Region & Route:
- | North West & Central
Network Rail is inviting residents living near the railway between Stone and Wedgwood to an information event to find out more about upcoming vegetation work.
This essential work, which is scheduled to take place from mid-October until the end of February 2018 along the three mile section between Wedgwood and Stone, is required to keep train passengers and staff safe.
Work will start in rural areas before moving into more residential areas and the majority of the work will be done during the day, however for safety reasons there may be some vegetation that can only be removed at night when the trains are not running. Where possible Network Rail’s arborist will recommend retaining vegetation that will not compromise safety however there is a significant amount of work to be undertaken.
Last year around 1,000 trains collided with fallen trees or large branches - a number Network Rail is keen to reduce. Each year there are many more instances of trees and branches blocking or closing lines, disrupting train passengers’ journeys.
Cutting foliage back a safe distance from the tracks enables train drivers to clearly see signals - the traffic lights of the railway - and to spot potential hazards as soon as possible.
At the event - on Tuesday 24 October 2017 between 4pm and 7pm at Stone Station Community Centre (station building) Station Approach, Stone - Network Rail staff will be on hand to explain why this work is so important for railway safety and how they will tackle the challenge in this area.
Chris Littler, programme manager for Network Rail, said: “We encourage our lineside neighbours to come along to understand the work we are doing and any impact it will have on them.
“Our project team will be there to answer any questions from residents and address any concerns they may have.
“We work with ecologists and arborists in all our vegetation management work to find the best way of cultivating a respectful balance between Britain’s lineside biodiversity and ensuring a safe, efficient railway.”
For further information contact Network Rail’s national helpline on 03457 114 141.
Notes to Editors
Vegetation removal – the facts
In 2013 incidents caused by vegetation cost the railway industry £100m. Storm, rain and wind events resulted in approximately 1,500 incidents in 2013-14 where trees caused disruption to the network.
With 20,000 miles of track and an estimated 2.5 million trees growing on the lineside, managing vegetation on the railway is not just a full-time job but one of our most important safety issues. Our climate, variety of trees and train frequency mean that the railway in Great Britain faces more serious challenges than most other countries.
Lineside vegetation can obscure signals, get blown onto the tracks, or grow to an extent where our staff do not have a safe place to wait whilst trains pass.
We will be removing lineside trees and plants which pose a significant safety or performance risk. Vegetation management also helps to prevent leaves falling on the track which can hamper train acceleration and braking.
Areas are assessed on a case-by-case basis, however all sites will see a clear six-metre wide corridor created (where available) on either side of the track, along with the removal of leaf fall species (for example ash and sycamore) and any trees tall enough to fall into the path of a train or onto other parts of the railway infrastructure.
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Network Rail press office - North West & Central Region
07740 782954
NWCmediarelations@networkrail.co.uk
About Network Rail
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.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
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