Level Crossing Mayhem at Gloucester

[whole diary]

[G.Uard]

From the official FGW^▸ (First Great Western) site...


"Train services at Gloucester are being disrupted due to a problem at a level crossing. Engineers are working as fast as possible to restore services to normal. Short notice alterations, cancellations and delays of up to 35 minutes can be expected."

I am not working today, but I suspect that the crossing must be Horton Road, over which all services to/from the Eastern end of the station pass. 

[Lee]

According to the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) website, as a result of this, we currently have a mixture of services either not calling at Gloucester or terminating there.

[Ollie]

From the official FGW^▸ (First Great Western) site...


"Train services at Gloucester are being disrupted due to a problem at a level crossing. Engineers are working as fast as possible to restore services to normal. Short notice alterations, cancellations and delays of up to 35 minutes can be expected."

I am not working today, but I suspect that the crossing must be Horton Road, over which all services to/from the Eastern end of the station pass. 

I can confirm it is Horton Road.

[Lee]

Its causing problems elsewhere as well. From the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) website :

10:43 Great Malvern to Brighton due 16:14

This train has been revised.It will no longer call at: Filton Abbey Wood, Stapleton Road, Lawrence Hill, Keynsham and Oldfield Park.This is due to a problem at a level crossing.

[G.Uard]

It seems that a road vehicle collied with the barriers.  When I  used the SWI^» (Swindon - next trains) train at 11.15 yesterday morning, Horton Rd was closed to traffic and trains being talked past the crossing. All seems OK now.

[Lee]

A driver who was arrested after the collision with the level-crossing barrier has been sectioned under the mental health act (link below.)
http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/latestnews/Man-detained-rail-crossing-crash/article-446618-detail/article.html

On a related note, road users who risk their lives by ignoring warning signs and lights at level crossings have been targeted by a ^2.5m Network Rail campaign (link below.)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7705848.stm

[John R]

The national media appear to have largely ignored the campaign (do correct me if I missed anything on this), due to the large coverage of the US election. Maybe NR^» (Network Rail - home page) might have chosen a better day, as it's a subject that can very easily fail to make the cut if there are more important stories in their opinion.

And a driver died in Cumbria today at a LX collision.   

[Lee]

The national media appear to have largely ignored the campaign (do correct me if I missed anything on this), due to the large coverage of the US election. Maybe NR^» (Network Rail - home page) might have chosen a better day, as it's a subject that can very easily fail to make the cut if there are more important stories in their opinion.

And a driver died in Cumbria today at a LX collision.   

That's the only media link I've seen so far relating to the Network Rail campaign. Here are a couple of links from the NR website.
http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/2292.aspx

http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=3973&NewsAreaID=2&SearchCategoryID=2

[Chris from Nailsea]

And a driver died in Cumbria today at a LX collision.   

See BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) news for details: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/7706393.stm

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Network Rail press release:

Network Rail is targeting a level crossing hotspot at Horton Road in Gloucester today to warn residents of the dangers of ignoring warning signs at level crossings.

The level crossing has one of the highest records of misuse in the Gloucestershire, with three incidents of cars crashing into barriers and a near-miss incident involving a pedestrian in the last two years.

The record of misuse could be higher as many of the incidents are not reported.

Liz Heading, community safety manager, Network Rail, said: ^Jumping the barriers and ignoring warning signs is sadly a sight we see all too often, and in many cases with tragic outcomes. Level crossings are safe, but if misused, they all pose very real risks. We^re driving home the message that running the risk at a level crossing is just not worth it. By trying to save a few seconds, you could end up losing your life.^

The awareness event forms part of Network Rail^s ongoing Don^t Run the Risk campaign, which aims to educate members of the public about the dangers of level crossing misuse.

It is led by Network Rail, in partnership with the British Transport Police, Gloucestershire Police, First Great Western and the Office of Rail Regulation.

Throughout the day the team will monitor the crossing and speak to pedestrians and drivers about misuse, offering advice and information on how to stay safe on the railway.

They will also be handing out leaflets that spell out the chilling truth of taking chances at level crossings, and pose the question: ^Would it kill you to wait?^.