"Anger over rail fence gap" - South Wales Argus (22/12/2009)

[whole diary]

[Lee]

From the South Wales Argus:

Anger over rail fence gap

A gap in a railway line fence needs to be blocked off as soon as possible to stop children from running across the tracks during the holidays, a councillor warns.

Councillor James Harris and Monmouthshire Council have called for Network Rail to fix a gap in a fence at Mill Reen in Undy, which they say is being used by children to walk across the tracks.

The company has placed a temporary mesh fence on the site, but Cllr Harris said a large gap remains.

Network Rail told Monmouthshire Council, which has advised the Health and Safety Executive of the situation, that it can not install a permanent fence until March 13.

Councillor Harris told the Argus the fencing usually stops people from accessing the railway line, which carries high speed traffic to the Severn Tunnel.

He^s worried the site is an accident waiting to happen over the school holidays.

^It^s wrong, March is a fair old length of time to wait to have this sorted,^ he said.

He said the mesh, installed by Network Rail last week, only covers the culvert and that the railway tracks are still accessible from either side.

A spokeswoman said the council raised concerns about the delay in light of the school holidays, and said there is clear evidence the area is being accessed by children.

^We^ve advised the HSE^▸ (Health and Safety Executive) of the situation and we have contacted Network Rail on a number of occasions to bring the date forward,^ she said.

A Network Rail spokeswoman said a temporary fence has been installed at the location, while a survey of the area is also taking place before a permanent fence is installed.

"Those who have witnessed any trespassers and vandals in the act are encouraged to ring the transport police," she said.

[devon_metro]

Why not just make sure the kids don't cross the line. There wouldn't be a problem if the issue was tackled at its heart. Slap any trespassers with the full ^1000 penalty (or is it ^2000?) - would soon teach any trespassers a lesson.

[Electric train]

If a Local Authority has such grave concerns they have a duty to take action, I suspect this is a Councilor throwing Teddy's out of his pram ...... is there local elections coming up this year in that area?

[unfarepayingpassenger]

If anyone is killed or injured it will be blamed on Network Rail for failing to take sufficient action. It won't matter who is really at fault!

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

the council should put up a fence now and charge it to network rail.... as for the education route well that will do little good when a kid runs across and dies

[johoare]

Why don't the parents stop the children doing it in the first place?

[Btline]

They should put a HARD HITTING advert out, none of this namby pamby rubbish like NR^» (Network Rail - home page)'s last level crossing advert.

You need to be blunt and preferably some stomach churning images.

And then slap FULL fines, as D/M says, onto trespassers.

[eightf48544]

Just come back from Germany, just watched passengers usually teenagers get of the train jump down a cross the line and exit station.

Now in both cases the line was the loop and in one case definitely disued but in the other may have been in use. However it seemed to be standard way out for them

For those of you that don't know one standard German station  layout is 2 through platforms and a loop accessible to/form both directions so a stopping train in either direction can be put in the loop and an ICE or IC^▸ (Inter City) . overtake. Also of course low platforms and no boundary fences.

[devon_metro]

There seem to be two ways to look at it.

Completely barrier all accesuble areas and take the rap when things go wrong;

Or

Give people responsibility to make the decision for themselves with only basic protection at more vulnerable areas, and in the event of any problems the railway is not at fault.

We seem to have strayed from the later to the former in recent times!

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

There is also the issue of ... Well I won't swear but undesirables gaining access to steal equipment lay stuff on tracks play chicken or the other possible jumpers blocking off as many entrances as possible removes the temptation what ever the thinking or motive behind it is

[johoare]

What are these peoples parents thinking of? Let alone what are these people thinking of...

[devon_metro]

It does seem odd doesn't it?

Never once in my teenage years have I been tempted to trespass on railway lines/steal equipment and I wouldn't class my upbringing as anything out of the ordinary.

Brings home some of the clear social issues that exist in this country.

[johoare]

Well yes I tend to agree..

My children have had it instilled in them to go nowhere near the railway line even if their friends want them to... And there is plenty of opportunity in Maidenhead since the trains go right through the middle of it :-)

[matt473]

Sadly a gap or not in a rail fence will make no difference. You would be surprised how many people assume no trains run at all. I have lived in a South Wales town called Ammanford for many years on the Heart of Wales line and there are many people both young and old that use it as a walkway as they still refuse to accept trains run along the line despite having proper fencing all along the route. Worse still there is a branh line that diverts of the line nearby up the Amman Valley to serve a local coal mine that now sees a freight train travel along it every other day and children regularly play on the line despite Network Rail sending a letter to all local schools to inform children that trains are running on the line and to keep away for safety. Despite this people still of course use the railway as a walkway as a shortcut home.

As I have been taught and everyone should be, if a railway line is in place, assume a train will use it otherwise why else would it be there?

[Tim]

the council should put up a fence now and charge it to network rail.... as for the education route well that will do little good when a kid runs across and dies

A non-starter I think.  Council can't put up a fence on NR^» (Network Rail - home page) land and if it did its workers would be trespassers themselves and possibly in danger. 

All the Council can do is appeal to NR which is what it is doing.