Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 00:35 29 Mar 2024
- Bus plunges off South Africa bridge, killing 45
- Easter getaways hit by travel disruption
- Where Baltimore bridge investigation goes now
- How do I renew my UK passport and what is the 10-year rule?
- Easter travel warning as millions set to hit roads
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
17/08/24 - Bus to Imber
27/09/25 - 200 years of passenger trains

On this day
29th Mar (1913)
Foundation of National Union or Railwaymen (*)

Train RunningShort Run
21:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
Delayed
21:45 Penzance to London Paddington
23:45 London Paddington to Penzance
PollsOpen and recent polls
Closed 2024-03-25 Easter Escape - to where?
Abbreviation pageAcronymns and abbreviations
Stn ComparatorStation Comparator
Rail newsNews Now - live rail news feed
Site Style 1 2 3 4
Next departures • Bristol Temple MeadsBath SpaChippenhamSwindonDidcot ParkwayReadingLondon PaddingtonMelksham
Exeter St DavidsTauntonWestburyTrowbridgeBristol ParkwayCardiff CentralOxfordCheltenham SpaBirmingham New Street
March 29, 2024, 00:43:01 *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Forgotten your username or password? - get a reminder
Most recently liked subjects
[98] West Wiltshire Bus Changes April 2024
[97] would you like your own LIVE train station departure board?
[86] Return of the BRUTE?
[74] Infrastructure problems in Thames Valley causing disruption el...
[53] If not HS2 to Manchester, how will traffic be carried?
[23] Reversing Beeching - bring heritage and freight lines into the...
 
News: the Great Western Coffee Shop ... keeping you up to date with travel around the South West
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: [1]
  Print  
Author Topic: Rail firm bans gardening gran from platform over health and safety concerns  (Read 1534 times)
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40690



View Profile WWW Email
« on: November 04, 2017, 08:26:26 »

From The Express

Quote
A GRANDMOTHER has been told she can no longer maintain a garden at a railway station on health and safety grounds.

Val Houghton, 72, has hit out at Northern Railway after spending three years, and around £2,000, maintaining blooms on the platform.

Commuters have previously heaped praise on the “bright and cheerful” patch which lies by the Wigan to Manchester railway line.

But now Val is facing heartbreak as rail officials have ordered her to halt work because she is dangerously close to the track line – despite previously giving her permission.

[continues]
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
broadgage
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 5398



View Profile
« Reply #1 on: November 04, 2017, 11:02:19 »

Although it sounds mean spirited, the picture suggests that all or most of the garden is the "wrong" side of the notice denoting the end of the public area of the platform.
That part of the garden on the platform ramp is probably reasonably safe, after all the gardener is not in fact any closer to the line than is a passenger on the permitted level part of the platform.

The gardened area furthest from the camera looks rather risky to me with very limited clearance to the running line.

I find the reported reliance on being told the time of the next train to be rather worrying ! This can easily give a false sense of security as it would not include ECS (Empty Coaching Stock), engineering, or freight trains, of which there might be very few, but one is enough if an accident results.
Logged

A proper intercity train has a minimum of 8 coaches, gangwayed throughout, with first at one end, and a full sized buffet car between first and standard.
It has space for cycles, surfboards,luggage etc.
A 5 car DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) is not a proper inter-city train. The 5+5 and 9 car DMUs are almost as bad.
dviner
Full Member
***
Posts: 82


View Profile
« Reply #2 on: November 04, 2017, 17:11:06 »

The 24 comments on the article all skip over the fact that there is a sign present in two of the photographs stating that passengers should not pass the sign, and all of the garden is past the sign - so any work on it would be trespassing...

That aside - the piece of the garden at the bottom of the ramp has its outer edge aligned with the platform edge. So, working on it would require either standing on the edge of the built-up sides, or standing on the ballast.
Logged
Rob on the hill
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 354


View Profile
« Reply #3 on: November 04, 2017, 17:23:17 »

The 24 comments on the article all skip over the fact that there is a sign present in two of the photographs stating that passengers should not pass the sign, and all of the garden is past the sign - so any work on it would be trespassing...

That aside - the piece of the garden at the bottom of the ramp has its outer edge aligned with the platform edge. So, working on it would require either standing on the edge of the built-up sides, or standing on the ballast.

But she's not a passenger, she's a gardener!  Wink
Apart from that I agree with your comments.
Logged
onthecushions
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 977


View Profile
« Reply #4 on: November 05, 2017, 17:23:30 »


The TOC (Train Operating Company) could pay for her PTS (Personal Track Safety) course and issue her with high vis gear to protect her nice outfit.

She certainly should not be gardening outside of the ramp without fencing or a lookout.

The Railway usually knows best.

OTC
Logged
Tim
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 2738


View Profile
« Reply #5 on: November 06, 2017, 10:16:47 »

whilst you may or may not choose to question HOW this has been handled.  The TOC (Train Operating Company) certainly did need to put a stop to her doing what she was doing in the way she was doing it for safety.  The far and away most important bit of this situation was handled correctly. 
Logged
Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
Pages: [1]
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.2 | SMF © 2006-2007, Simple Machines LLC Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
This forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western), and the views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules (email link to report). Forum hosted by Well House Consultants

Jump to top of pageJump to Forum Home Page