Media centre

Wednesday 10 Feb 2016

Tree-removal to keep railway safe at Rock Ferry

Region & Route:

| North West & Central

Network Rail arborists are removing trees beside the train tracks at Rock Ferry on Merseyside in order to keep passengers safe and keep trains moving.

Between Saturday 13 February and Friday 25 March tree specialists will be clearing vegetation at Rock Ferry station, in Wirral, and 500 metres up and down the railway embankments in each direction.

Steve Lowe, Network Rail's arborist, said: "The purpose of our tree-clearance work is safety. We want to keep passengers and railway staff safe and to keep trains running on time.

"If we don't manage line-side vegetation trees and branches can blow down on the tracks and signals - the traffic lights of the railway - can become obscured from train drivers' view. This work significantly reduces the chances of this happening."

Steve and his colleagues from Network Rail held a community drop-in session at St Peter's church in Rock Ferry from 4pm to 7pm on Tuesday 9 February. Residents living beside the line discussed the work and asked questions about why it was needed.

Bill Davies, Labour councillor for Rock Ferry, who attended the drop-in, said: "We understand the need for this work - keeping passengers safe and trains running to time.

"Attending this session was useful as we were able to ask arboricultural experts exactly what is being done and why."

Ends

• It is proposed work takes place between Saturday 13 February and Friday 25 March 2016 as.
• Daytime working between Bedford Road, Rock Ferry and Union Street/ Beaconsfield Close, Tranmere will be weekdays, 08:00 to 17:00 Monday 15 February 2016 to Friday 4 March.
• Eight-hour night working shifts between Bedford Road, Rock Ferry and Union Street/Beaconsfield Close, Tranmere will be 23:30 Saturday 13 February 2016 to 07:00 Sunday 14 February.
• Daytime working between Rock Lane West and Rock Ferry station will be 08:00 to 17:00 Monday 7 March 2016 to Friday 25 March.
• An eight-hour night working shift between Rock Lane West and Rock Ferry station will be 23:30 Saturday 20 February 2016 to 07:00 Sunday 21 February.