Heritage railways crossing public highways - issues raised

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

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

Emergency repairs at rail crossing over safety fears

[Image from here is not available to guests]
Gloucestershire County Council closed the A48 Lydney Bypass in Gloucestershire on Tuesday - Image © Google

A rail crossing over a major A-road has been closed for emergency repairs due to safety concerns.

Gloucestershire County Council closed the A48 Lydney Bypass in Gloucestershire on Tuesday after finding some of the road rail crossing plates were failing.

The road remains closed in both directions with diversions in place.

The council said it would provide an update on when the urgent repair works were likely to be completed.

[stuving]

That, by the way, is the Dean Forest Railway, not that the report mentions it. Who owns the road crossing, or is responsible for maintaining it, is another question.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Would you like me to look into the possibility of merging those topics, stuving?  I did consider it, when I posted - simply for continuity.

Chris from Nailsea. 

[Oxonhutch]

That, by the way, is the Dean Forest Railway, not that the report mentions it. Who owns the road crossing, or is responsible for maintaining it, is another question.

If it is like the Wallingford bypass, that long post-dates the railway, then it will be a council problem.

[infoman]

I have to agree its a council problem,if cars and lorries were not going over the rails,there would not be a problem.

[grahame]

I have to agree its a council problem,if cars and lorries were not going over the rails,there would not be a problem.

But then if there we no rails there for the trains, there would not be a problem either 

[Electric train]

I have to agree its a council problem,if cars and lorries were not going over the rails,there would not be a problem.

The ownership will depend on who owns the land as it is a heritage railway it is possible the Council are the land owners and lease / licence / wayleave use to the railway.
Another possibility because the road is a by-pass it is the railway that owns the land and the Council has lease / licence / wayleave to cross the railway and maintain the road, this happens with NR^» (Network Rail - home page) the Highway owner pays NR to maintain the crossing surface.

[ChrisB]

That, by the way, is the Dean Forest Railway, not that the report mentions it. Who owns the road crossing, or is responsible for maintaining it, is another question.

If it is like the Wallingford bypass, that long post-dates the railway, then it will be a council problem.

And, lo & behold -

From Oxford Mail

All trains cancelled on historic UK^▸ (United Kingdom) railway after crash

All trains have been cancelled on a historic Oxfordshire railway line after a crash damaged equipment at a level crossing.

Cholsey and Wallingford Heritage Railway has had to cancel all of its trips and events for the foreseeable future after damage was caused to the historic bunk line last week.

A road traffic collision on the A4130 Wallingford Bypass caused damage to the equipment at the level crossing and requires repairs before any services can resume.

The railway team declined to comment on the situation, but it has been revealed they hope trains will be running again by the end of July.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Swindon Advertiser:

Heritage railway closes for 'forseeable future' after incident

All trains have been cancelled on a historic Oxfordshire railway line after a crash damaged equipment at a level crossing.

Cholsey and Wallingford Heritage Railway has had to cancel all of its trips and events for the foreseeable future after damage was caused to the historic bunk line last week.

A road traffic collision on the A4130 Wallingford Bypass caused damage to the equipment at the level crossing and requires repairs before any services can resume.

The railway team declined to comment on the situation, but it has been revealed they hope trains will be running again by the end of July.

A spokesperson for Wallingford Town Council said: "While the trains may be temporarily paused, there's still plenty happening behind the scenes."

(Swindon Advertiser article continues)

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks for your post, ChrisB: the apparent duplication is due to our posting almost simultaneously.

[ChrisB]

Identical wording from two separate publications

[Chris from Nailsea]

Yes, I noticed that, too: a classic example of 'copy and paste' journalism? 

[stuving]

Yes, I noticed that, too: a classic example of 'copy and paste' journalism? 

That depends what you mean by "classic". Both titles are owned by Newsquest Media Group Ltd, and so do share content. In places close to each other, like the Bracknell and Wokingham Newses (also Newsquest), the commonality goes further, certainly in the print version. Pages can be a mix of those for one town or the other, with heading to match. It's not quite the same paper with just the front page different, but not far off. 

[Chris from Nailsea]

Indeed, stuving.

I note that the Oxford Mail and Swindon Advertiser articles are both credited to "Madeleine Evans, Reporter". 

[Oxonhutch]

Driving past a short while ago, it appears that a vehicle has demolished one of the central reservation crossing road warning light arrays. The parallel stop signal is still in place at the side of the road. That appears to be the only damage on the crossing - even the keep-left beacon on the short central reservation is still in place.

I am surprised that the crossing cannot be used with additional supervision and traffic control on the ground. There must be railway procedures in place to pass a train over a defective level crossing, especially in the long daylight of summer.