Level Crossing incident Newquay - Par, 19 January 2012

[whole diary]

[LiskeardRich]

just seen on local travel:

Replacement bus service running on First Great Western between Newquay and Par due to incident at a level crossing. A train has hit a car at a level crossing. Trains are unable to run while the emergency services deal with the incident. This will continue until the end of service

[Chris from Nailsea]

From FGW^▸ (First Great Western) JourneyCheck:

Line problem: between Par and Newquay. Following an earlier problem at a level crossing between Par and Newquay all lines will be reopened shortly.

Impact:
Train services running through these stations may be cancelled at short notice. Disruption is expected until 22:15 19/01.

Customer Advice:
Replacement road transport services are conveying passengers between Par and Newquay in both directions until further notice.

[LiskeardRich]

Disruption expected until 2215? is that the end of service for the day, as i didnt even know they ran that late to newquay!

[marky7890]

Just saw this on BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) Spotlight, hasn't there been past accidents at this crossing?

The last Newquay Branch train of the day gets into Par at 22:16.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Cornwall woman 'lucky' to escape car and train crash

A woman escaped uninjured after her car and a train collided at a level crossing near Newquay in Cornwall.

Police who were called to the crossing at Trencreek Road, Trencreek at 19:40 GMT said no-one was believed to have been injured.



The railway line is a local branch line and the collision involved a single carriage First Great Western train.

Driver Sarah Frampton of St Newlyn East said she had not seen the warning and was "lucky to be alive".

She said: "I've been rushed off my feet all day and was not aware that there was a warning at the crossing.

"I don't often come down that road.

"I was travelling fairly slowly and out of the blue saw the train.

"I slammed on the brakes, but it was coming too fast and hit me.

"It was quite overwhelming how close I was.

"I am very thankful to be alive."

British Transport Police are investigating at the scene, where a tractor and train collided in 2003.

A police spokesman said: "There appears to be no persons injured and the scene has been secured awaiting the arrival of British Transport Police officers who will have primacy over the investigation."

[inspector_blakey]

A big relief that the consequences were not more serious. Two observations...

1. Ms Frampton may have been wiser to keep her own counsel pending any investigation rather than talking to a newpaper.
2. The RAIB^▸ (Rail Accident Investigation Branch) might have something to say about the quotation from plod in the last sentence of that article.

 

[JayMac]

Those quotes from the car driver say rather a lot don't they? I agree she would have been better off keeping her own counsel.

If there was nothing wrong with the correct operation of the crossing then my only sympathy lies with the train driver.

[IndustryInsider]

A big relief that the consequences were not more serious. Two observations...

1. Ms Frampton may have been wiser to keep her own counsel pending any investigation rather than talking to a newpaper.
2. The RAIB^▸ (Rail Accident Investigation Branch) might have something to say about the quotation from plod in the last sentence of that article.

What's the problem with the police quote?

[LiskeardRich]

Looks like she had incriminated herself for driving without due care and attention, unless the warning lights werent working. Knowing the location, there is limited visibility from the road to see if any trains are coming due to high hedgerows from memory.

[Ollie]

This is from Google Maps - so Network Rail will have to figure out if lights were working. 

[LiskeardRich]

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Trencreek+Road,+Newquay&hl=en&ll=50.406723,-5.055782&spn=0.000007,0.005262&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=11.25,43.110352&oq=Trencreek+Road+new&vpsrc=6&hnear=Trencreek+Rd,+Newquay,+United+Kingdom&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=50.406656,-5.055624&panoid=09MAXiq8qJuOfxqwfS7oiQ&cbp=12,325.78,,0,14.86

[LiskeardRich]

my thoughts are at 1940 its dark, so would make the flashing  red lights even easier to see. therefore the car driver best hope following her comments to the media that the lights had failed, or she has dug her hole deeper!

[inspector_blakey]

What's the problem with the police quote?

Could have this wrong but I was under the distinct impression that RAIB^▸ (Rail Accident Investigation Branch) would have primacy over the accident site, not plod. That said I've got slightly lost in the mire of RAIB/ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about)/BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) and who takes priority over whom in given circumstances. Better do a bit of revision because I'm supposed to know this stuff... 

[Bob_Blakey]

'I slammed on the brakes, but it was coming too fast and hit me'

Presumably she was expecting the train to swerve out of the way.

[molinnis]

I may be wong but I thought the mentioned 2003 incident between a tractor and a HST^▸ (High Speed Train) was at Coswarth level crossing not Trencreek.