Anger after trackside trees cut in Enfield - Network Rail criticized

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

A video news report, from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Network Rail has been criticised by a council and an MP^▸ (Member of Parliament, or Mile Post (a method of measuring the railway in miles and chains from a starting point - usually London), depending on context) for removing hundreds of yards of mature woodland on a railway embankment in north London.

Thirsty trees had dried up the land at Grange Park in Enfield and this risked a derailment, the company said.

But Enfield councillor Chris Bond said Network Rail was "arrogant" and Enfield Southgate MP David Burrowes pledged to raise the matter in Parliament.

READ MORE: Anger after trackside trees cut

[inspector_blakey]

Tricky one this I reckon...my gut reaction was just to be dismissive about the local councillor and MP^▸ (Member of Parliament, or Mile Post (a method of measuring the railway in miles and chains from a starting point - usually London), depending on context) because they'd be the first to hop up and down blustering and blaming Network Rail for not clearing the trees if there was some kind of subsidence that ended up causing a derailment or landslip onto the properties below. And the comment from one resident that commuters could look through their window and see them in bed makes you wonder if they've heard of curtains.

However after looking at the video I'm left wondering if there might be more sympathetic ways to achieve the necessary than what was done in this case. It does look like a bit of a "scorched earth" job.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Fair comment, inspector_blakey. 

However, Network Rail are not against trees 'just for the sake of it'.  Also from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Trees planted in Kent after harsh winter

Tens of thousands of trees are being planted across Kent, but later than planned because of the cold winter.

Distribution of 31,000 young saplings under the Kent Free Trees scheme was delayed by two months because of sub-zero ground conditions.

More than 1,000 applications were received from individuals, schools, community groups and landowners, who could apply for up to 25 trees each.

Native species handed out included oak, ash, beech and hazel.

The trees are usually handed out at the beginning of December, but distribution was delayed until this month.

The scheme is sponsored by Kent's borough and district councils, Bexley Council in London, and Network Rail.

(My highlighting - Chris)

[Electric train]

Network Rail are in the process of building a national data base of all tress over a certain size (can not remember the trunk size) all these trees are being tagged and there position located by GPS the aim is improve tree maintenance and management this data base will be the largest such data base outside the Forest industry.

NR^» (Network Rail - home page) don't cut down trees for the fun of it, its an expensive process but there are duty bound to operate a safe railway and that has to come first

[eightf48544]

It's interesting to think this problem is only really 40 years old.

Prior to abolition ot steam if you look back at old photos and films there are very few trees or even large shrubs on embankments or cuttings, mainly because if the steam loco didn't burn them then the platelayers would deliberately set fires to clear off the brash, thus saplings never got a chance to grow.

With planned burnings frowned upon it has allowed the trees to grow, after all our native landscape is forest. After 40 years  these trees are now mature and causing the problems mentioned in the piece.

The interesting question is, having clear felled this area will Networkrail keep it clear? Or will there be another outcry in 40 years time when there have to clear fell again.

 

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Enfield Independent:

Anger over Grange Park trees saga shown at public meeting

More than 200 people turned up to a public meeting last night to show their anger over a replanting scheme to replace hundreds of metres of trees stripped from a train station in January.

The meeting at Grange Park Methodist Church in Old Park Ridings was called after Network Rail planted nearly 400 tree saplings in a straight line on the railway embankment in Green Dragon Lane next to Grange Park Train Station.

Mature oak and sycamore trees were stripped from the leafy embankment by Network Rail in January, with the rail operator saying the old trees were unstable and potentially dangerous ^ prompting outrage from homeowners, Enfield Council and Enfield Southgate MP^▸ (Member of Parliament, or Mile Post (a method of measuring the railway in miles and chains from a starting point - usually London), depending on context) David Burrowes.

At last night's meeting, Old Park Ridings resident Helen Osman gave a presentation to senior officials from Network Rail to ask them to plant more trees instead of waiting for 12 months to see how the site matured.

She told the Enfield Independent: ^We felt that we had been totally ignored in the previous consultations.

^For people living next-door to this embankment it's awful and I've been around to their homes and looked at it ^ they're devastated.^

Homeowners living in the nearby streets of Green Dragon Lane, Merridene and Vera Avenue are angry at the desolate landscape that now greets them from their windows.

Other speakers at the meeting said that they were ^totally appalled^ by the scheme, while another said it was a ^feeble attempt^ to restore the environment.

Network Rail said it would plant more trees before March and would hold a review within the next year to see if more were needed.

[ellendune]

I have seen an article recently in the technical press saying that one of the problems with stability of clay embankments is when they dry out in summer caused by trees drying out the clay.  This then results in cracking which weakens the embankment when it subsequently gets wet. 

Network Rail really have no choice, but to cut down these trees therefore.

If teh residents have a complaint it is only because they got used to then being there due to the neglect of BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) and Railtrack.