Continuing misuse of the level crossing on the A10 highway in Foxton, Cambridgeshire, has seen another motorist standing in front of Magistrates in Cambridge. On this occasion the motorist claimed that he overtook traffic standing at the crossing as required by the stop lights and crossed the railway as the barriers were lowering because he thought he was being chased by a rogue salesman.

However, this excuse didn’t pass muster with the Cambridge Magistrates who handed down a conviction for failing to comply with a stop sign and driving without care and attention on March 2nd, 2011.

The motorist who already had nine penalty points on his driving licence, said if he lost his licence he would also lose his job. However, this plea did nothing to convince the court that a driving ban was inappropriate in the circumstances.

With an additional three points for the Foxton offence the motorist reached 12 penalty points and thus incurred a driving ban, on this occasion for six months. In addition fines and cost of GBP 135 were imposed.

(August 30th, 2011)

Misuse of Foxton level crossing, source Network Rail

A train driver who observed a motorist approaching a level crossing in Bad Bramstedt, Kreis Segeberg, continuously sounded his train horn in anticipation that the motorist would be alerted to the presence of the train and stop short of the level crossing. However, apparently oblivious to the noise of the train horn and the traffic signals protecting the level crossing, the female motorist continued on her way. Fortunately, the woman escaped with minor injuries when her car was hit by the train. The accident which occurred on August 30th, 2011 caused damage to the car estimated at EUR 15,000.

(August 30th, 2011)

A 66-year-old motorist was seriously injured when a car was struck by a train on the Via Formellino automatic half-barrier equipped level crossing in Faenza, Ravenna. The accident which occurred at approximately 09.45 on August 30th, 2011 is presently unexplained as the initial investigation has not established why the car passed a red stop signal protecting the level crossing which appears to have been functioning correctly.

Regular users of the level crossing are reported as having said that the half-barriers rise a split second before a train arrives at the level crossing. The on-going investigation will seek to establish the accuracy of the reports that the crossing malfunctions.

(August 30th, 2011)

Nottinghamshire Coroner, Mairin Casey said that there were unanswered questions which led her to record an open verdict, rather than one that the man intentionally killed himself.

(August 29th, 2011)

A collision on a level crossing in Mühldorf, Kreis Mühldorf-am-Inn, at about 22.00 on August 26th, 2011 left the emergency service personnel responding to the accident with a problem as despite finding a motorbike destroyed in the collision, they could find no trace of the motorcyclist. Next step, a police helicopter equipped with a thermal imaging camera, but still there was no sign of a motorcyclist.

The mystery was solved a few hours later when the errant motorcyclist returned to the scene of the accident having walked away from the collision between the train and the front of his bike.

(August 27th, 2011)

Volker Rail has been awarded the design and build contract for renewal of four life expired level crossings in Network Rail’s London North East region.

The four level crossings, situated in Yorkshire and Humberside, will all require equipment renewal, with three being full renewals of all associated infrastructure including new predictor equipment housed in a new REB, upgrade of track circuits and provision of predictor systems.

Design work is currently underway with decommissioning works due to start from March 2012 with a completion date of June 2012.

(August 26th, 2011)

Both occupants of a car were killed when it was struck by a train on a level crossing between Suceava and Veresti which led to the locomotive of the train derailing. The accident occurred on the Varatec active open level crossing at about 16.00 on August 26th, 2011. The initial investigation has concluded that the driver of the car failed to stop as required by the red lights protecting the level crossing.

(August 26th, 2011)

Continuing misuse of level crossings in Broughty Ferry, Tayside LXinfo July 2011), has prompted British Transport Police (BTP) and Network Rail to join forces with Tayside Police and Tayside Fire and Rescue to reinforce the message that motorists should stop when the red lights show and not attempt to beat lowering level crossing barriers. The initiative is supported by the Dundee Community Safety Partnership.

Since mid-February 2011, BTP officers have reported 46 people to the local Procurator Fiscal for offences at the Broughty Ferry CCTV equipped manually controlled barrier level crossing.

Motorists will be stopped and advised on the correct procedure to adopt when approaching the crossing and they will also be told that any offence reported will result in prosecution.

Pedestrians misuse is also being tackled as there have been a number of incidents including one on June 22nd, 2011 which involved about a dozen children. Inquiries into this incident are on-going with four boys aged between 12 and 14 the subject of a report.

(August 25th, 2011)

Diversion signs displaying information in English, Polish and Spanish were provided by Network Rail to the specification of Worcestershire County Council and then removed by the Highways Agency as they might confuse English speakers.

The rationale for the signs necessary because a level crossing was closed for maintenance was the large number of migrant farm workers in the Vale of Evesham.

(August 25th, 2011)

An ICE train sustained significant damage when it collided with a tractor on an automatic half-barrier equipped level crossing in Dedinghausen, between Paderborn and Lippstadt. The collision which occurred at 10.40 on August 25th, 2011, resulted in two of the passengers travelling on the ICE receiving minor injuries. The tractor driver escaped injury as he jumped clear when it became clear that a collision was inevitable.

The cause of the accident appears to have been the tractor stalling while crossing the railway at which point the crossing activated for the approaching train. While the leading vehicle of the ICE sustained significant damage when it hit the tractor at a speed of 160 kph; unsurprisingly, the tractor was destroyed. Damage arising in the collision has been estimated at EUR 0.56 million.

(August 25th, 2011)

Hopes have risen that an agreement is nearer to providing a footbridge to address the congestion caused by the level crossing on Lincoln’s High Street (LXinfo passim). The breakthrough comes as Network Rail says it may not be necessary for the footbridge to comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).

Negotiations involving Network Rail, the County Council and constituency MP Karl McCartney are centred on a design without lifts as the level crossing will still be available, other than when it is closed for the passage of trains.

(August 25th, 2011)

Two women were killed and their husbands who are brothers seriously injured when the car in which they were travelling was struck by a car on the Strada Eroilor level crossing in Critian, bear Brasov. The accident occurred at approximately 10.30 on August 23rd, 2011 when the motorist failed to yield to the train as required by the signs posted at the crossing.

(August 24th, 2011)

ADIF, Spain’s national rail infrastructure manager, has confirmed that as a component of the level crossing elimination programme a pedestrian subway will be constructed at Chiva’s railway station on the route linking Valencia with Utiel.

The new subway will be equipped with lits and have a length of 30 metres. In announcing this EUR 2.280 million project, ADIF confirmed that it remained committed to constructing an adjacent underpass for vehicular traffic. When the vehicular underpass linking to highway CV379 is complete, the level crossing adjacent to the railway station will be eliminated.

(August 24th, 2011)

A motorist who was surprised by a train as he sought to cross a passive level crossing in Niederteufen, near St Gallen, was lucky to escape without injury when his car was hit by the train. The context of the accident is a railway that parallels the Hauptstrasse with property owners needing to cross the railway via a number of passive level crossings, the length of the street. The accident occurred at 10.13 on August 20th, 2011.

(August 20th, 2011)

The failure of the level crossing in Gammal, Molières-sur-Cèze, Languedoc-Roussillon, on on August 18th, 2011at about 11.30 left motorists seething. The problem appears to have been caused by the malicious operation of the strike-in treadle. However, the midday heat caused concerns that some of the stranded motorists were without water and at risk of heat stroke.

(August 19th, 2011)

Network Rail and the signalman who was on duty when a fatal accident occurred on the manually controlled full-barrier level crossing in Moreton-on-Lugg, Herefordshire on January 16th, 2010 (LXinfo March 2011) are to be prosecuted.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said that there was insufficient evidence to allow them to proceed with manslaughter charges. However, the CPS said that they will prosecute for offences committed under the 1974 Health and Safety at Work Etc. Act.

The CPS has advised the police that the signalman should be summonsed under Section 7 of the 1974 Act for failing to take reasonable care for the health and safety of other people likely to be affected by his actions or omissions at work.

In parallel the CPS has advised the police to summons Network Rail under Section 3 of the 1974 Act which imposes a duty on an employer to conduct their undertaking in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons not in their employment who may be affected thereby are not exposed to risks to their health and safety.

A first hearing is due to take place at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on  October 5th, 2011.

(August 17th, 2011)

The Camnago level crossing, Lentate sul Seveso, Monza & Brianza, was closed on August 16th, 2011 months before the replacement underpass will be complete, much to the chagrin of pedestrians and cyclists who make use of it. The city Council says that it explored all possible avenues to avoid the crossing being closed before the replacement pedestrian underpass opens in October 2011.

The reason that the crossing had to be closed two months prior to the underpass opening was the staging of the construction work and the need to have access to the highway either side of the level crossing so that the approaches to the underpass can be constructed and the diversion of the highway itself completed on time in November 2011.

(August 16th, 2011)

The latest in a series of British Transport Police (BTP) initiatives to raise awareness of level crossing safety issues has taken place at the Liverpool Road level crossing in Birkdale, Southport. The crossing safety blitz on August 15th, 2011, was an overt operation to highlight the dangers of misusing level crossings and thus an education rather than enforcement operation.

(August 15th, 2011)

A woman had a lucky escape when her car was stranded on the Bornato automatic barrier equipped level crossing in Cazzago San Martino, Brescia. The woman evacuated her car after the barriers had lowered for an approaching train. Having moved clear she witnessed her car being struck by the train. The impact was reduced in severity as the train driver had made an emergency brake application when he saw that the level crossing was obstructed by queuing road traffic.

The accident which happened at 19.10 on August 14th, 2011, occurred when traffic was blocking back over the level crossing as a result of heavy traffic associated with a public holiday. Reports suggest that blocking back over the Bornato level crossing was a known issue and often associated with peak traffic flows at the time of public holidays.

(August 15th, 2011)

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The sole occupant of a car was killed in a collision between a train and a car on the rural Rosmolenweg level crossing near Oostrum, Limburg. The accident occurred at approximately 23.30 on August 11th, 2011. Some reports suggest that the car was not moving at the time of the accident leading to suggestions that the fatality may have been intentional.

(August 12th, 2011)

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The Casal do Ginguelho level crossing in Alverca, Vila Franca de Xira, is to be eliminated and will be replaced with an underpass. An agreement to this effect has been concluded between REFER, Portugal’s national rail infrastructure manager, and the municipality of Vila Franca de Xira. The agreement which will secure closure of the level crossing has been welcomed by residents who have been pressing for this to happen for a number of years.

(August 12th, 2011)

A wheelchair user who fell on the tracks at a level crossing in Bougenais, Nantes when a train was approaching was rescued by a woman who had seen the mishap occur. The man fell out of his wheelchair when it tipped backwards as he crossed the tracks shortly before the crossing activated for the approaching train following which the woman dragged the man to safety before the train crushed the wheelchair.

(August 12th, 2011)

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has published its report of the investigation into the collision between a passenger train and a loaded 44 tonne lorry on the Sewage Works Lane user worked occupation (private) level crossing in Little Cornard, near Sudbury, Suffolk, at 17.35 on August 17th, 2010 (LXinfo September 2010). The report identifies a number of lessons of wider than local significance.

For more on this story, please visit the accident investigation section of this issue of LXinfo

(August 11th, 2011)

Aftermath of collision on Sewage Works lane user worked level crossing, August 17th, 2010, source RAIB

Opponents argue that the footbridge will be an inconvenience to many users compared with closing the level crossing to vehicular traffic but retaining the crossing for pedestrians when the link road is completed in perhaps two years.

(August 11th, 2011)

The project to eliminate the level crossing on Via Giustizia at the intersection with Via Trento in Chirignago, Venezia, at a cost of EUR 2.2 million (LXinfo March 2011) will move on to the construction of the pedestrian underpass on September 5th, 2011. It is anticipated that the underpass will be completed in November 2011 at which point the level crossing will be eliminated, vehicular traffic already having been diverted.

(August 11th, 2011)

 

 

 

The Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) has published a number of research reports concerning level crossings. For more information on the following, please go the latest research section of this issue of LXinfo.

The topics covered in these reports are:

• Vehicle activated signs
• Traffic signs and signals
• Development of a close call reporting system

In addition, RSSB has announced that it will be undertaking a research project titled “Enhancing the accuracy and functionality of the All Level Crossing Risk Model (ALCRM)” (T936). More information can be found in the latest research section of this edition of LXinfo.

(August 10th, 2011)

A police chase through Wokingham ended when the car being pursued by police crashed through barriers at the Waterloo Road level crossing in Wokingham which had already been lowered for an approaching train. The pursuing police stopped short of the level crossing.

The incident which occurred shortly after 21.00 on August 7th, 2011, followed reports that the occupants of a white Vauxhall Astra had been seen breaking into a property and the suspected felons making off at speed when the police officers attempted to detain the driver.

(August 10th, 2011)

A substantial gathering of family, friends and neighbours marked the first anniversary on August 9th, 2011, of the death of a young man in a level crossing accident. The gathering was both a commemoration of a life lost and a call for action as the configuration of the crossing remains the same as it was at the time of the accident.

Although there is agreement to eliminate level crossings in Cabezon de la Sal (LXinfo September 2010), there are no concrete plans, nor timescale within which the elimination will be effected. Therefore, the call is for urgent action to upgrade the level crossing at which the fatal accident occurred from a passive to an automatic half-barrier configuration as there is insufficient visibility to cross safely.

The viewpoint of those demonstrating was that it is incumbent on the civic authority and in particular FEVE, the regional rail operator, to address the risk posed by a passive crossing with limited sighting which could be improved easily by clearing vegetation that has grown up around the level crossing.

(August 10th, 2011)

An 80-year-old woman who had been repeatedly told by her family not to cross the railway when the crossing barriers were lowered has been killed on a level crossing in Viserba, Rimini. The train driver, seeing the woman on the level crossing made an emergency brake application and sounded the train horn. Witnesses to the accident have said that the woman realised the train was very close, but was unable to move clear in time. The accident occurred shortly before 08.00 on August 9th, 2011.

(August 9th, 2011)

A motorist received serious head injuries when the car he was driving was hit by a train on a passive level crossing in Spelle, Kreis Emsland. The accident occurred during the morning of August 9th, 2011. A police investigation has been opened to determine why the car came to be on the level crossing when a train was close to the crossing.

(August 9th, 2011)

The municipality has argued that the Casar de Periedo level crossing should have been upgraded to an automatic half-barrier status following a fatal accident rather than eliminated. A further concern is that the proposed road-over-rail bridge at the site of the Virgen de la Peña level crossing is too far from the Cabrojo level crossing at which point the municipality argues that a pedestrian underpass should be provided.

(August 9th, 2011)

A collision with a car on a level crossing of the railway linking the coastal communities of Rodi Garganico and San Menaio, Foggia, resulted in the car being overturned and the motorist injured.

The level crossing at which the accident occurred gives access to the coast from the SS89 highway. There are a number of passive level crossings along this stretch of the railway to provide beach access. In this case, on August 7th, 2011, it appears that the motorist proceeded to cross the railway without first having identified that a train was approaching.

(August 8th, 2011)

 

A joint British Transport Police (BTP) and Surrey Police operation in Egham on July 30th, 2011, led to 81 motorists being stopped. This number included nine motorists stopped at the Thorpe Road and Pooley Green level crossings for running the red lights who must now attend a Driver Aware course.

In addition the blitz saw 12 drivers issued with fixed penalty notices because they were not wearing seatbelts. A further eight motorists received a fixed penalty notice for using their mobile telephones while driving. The same sanction was applied to a driver who failed to produce a valid MOT certificate. The operation also led to the police seizing three cars.

(August 8th, 2011)

Opposition to the closure of the Hytasa level crossing in Lora del Rio, near Seville, continues with residents and other users of the erstwhile level crossing maintaining that the replacement underpass should be for light vehicular as well as pedestrian use.

Now, a call has been made for municipal authorities to intervene and cause the Ministry of Public Works and Infrastructure and ADIF, Spain’s national rail infrastructure manager, to accede to their request concerning the prospective replacement underpass.

There is a sense of urgency as it is now expected that the plans for the underpass, presently intended to be for pedestrians and cyclists only will be finalised and a contract let by year end. The argument for a change in the intended specification is not solely based on the inconvenience of residents as there is a wider issue of highway congestion in Lora del Rio which can be mitigated if the underpass was available for use by light vehicles.

(August 7th, 2011)

Agreement has after many years been reached which will allow the closure of a level crossing in Lecco. The private crossing in question which is close to the church of the Beato Serafino (at km 28.134 on the Bergamo to Lecco railway line) has been considered dangerous because of a history of incidents including one with fatal consequences in 2007. However RFI, the Italian national rail infrastructure manager, has agreed to build a track parallel to the railway which will allow the thirteen authorised uses to reach their land via an alternative route. This solution is similar to one proposed in 1996.

(August 7th, 2011)

A passenger train collided with a van on a level crossing in Beugen on July 6th, 2011. The collision led to delays in the train service between Nijmegen and Venlo, in particular between Cujik and Boxmeer which were linked by a replacement bus service.

The driver of the van had been working on the line-side painting location cabinets and was returning to the public highway when the accident occurred. The van reached the crossing as the gates closed for an approaching train and was not manoeuvred clear of the railway before a collision ensued. However, the van driver was able to leave his vehicle and reach a place of safety before the collision occurred.

(August 6th, 2011)

Considering the angst that has surrounded the traffic congestion caused by the level crossing and the long and difficult gestation of the project to eliminate it, the closure of the Terrafino level crossing has passed without ceremony. Rather, the new highway underpass was quietly opened to traffic and the crossing closed.

Prior to completion of the underpass, reports have circulated saying that at peak times motorists could be delayed for up to 45 minutes as a result of the repeated passage of trains.

(August 6th, 2011)

An elderly motorist who, for reasons unknown, became stuck on a level crossing in Pont-Saint-Esprit, received head injuries when his car was struck by a freight train at 10.45 on August 5th, 2011. Realising that the car was in a position where it would be struck by an approaching train the motorist sought help from his wife who pushed the car away from the railway. However, before this manoeuvre could be completed the train arrived, striking the front of the car which remained foul of the railway. The woman was able to move clear before the collision took place. However, her husband remained in the vehicle, sustaining head injuries as a result.

(August 5th, 2011)

A 20-year-old man returning from an evening out with friends to celebrate his birthday was killed when he was hit by a train near the Boutham level crossing near Lincoln. The British transport police said that the accident which occurred at 04.50 on August 3rd, 2011 is currently being treated as unexplained, it appears to have been a tragic accident and officers will be continuing their investigation in order to prepare a file for the coroner. One report has suggested that the young man had collapsed prior to being hit by the train.

(August 5th, 2011)

The project to eliminate a level crossing in Oberhäuser, Röthenbach, Allgäu, has been deferred from August 2012 to October 2013 as a result of the slot for the construction of the rail-over-road bridge slipping 14 months. Indeed, there are some who fear that the bridge construction will be executed at a date later than now declared with even greater impact on the local budget that is to part fund the grade separation project as this is the second change in date.

Deutsche Bahn (DB) has rejected the August 2012 slot for the bridge construction as it is unwilling to close the Immenstadt to Röthenbach railway in the summer holiday season.

(August 5th, 2011)

A question taxing citizens living in Buñol, Valencia, is whether the proposed tunnel under the railway on the Avenida Pérez Galdós will increase divisions within the community or bring people closer together. The tunnel proposal developed by ADIF, Spain’s national rail infrastructure manager, as a route to the elimination of a level crossing has exposed a viewpoint that the inconvenience of a level crossing is less than that which the tunnel will bring. This has led to a call on ADIF to find a way of upgrading the level crossing or otherwise avoiding the necessity of a tunnel.

(August 5th, 2011)

The Union Pacific Railroad (UP) is to renew the roadways over 14 level crossings on its right-of-way between Broadwater and Northport. These works are integral to UP’s project to upgrade the track along the 14-milke-long corridor at a cost of USD 6.5 million.

(August 4th, 2011)

Poor visibility has been cited as the cause of a collision on the Binnendijk level crossing near Sluiskil that occurred on August 4th, 2011.  The level crossing is immediately adjacent to a crossroads on one side: and, on the other a 45 degree bend in the highway.

The tractor driver involved in the accident appears to have been unaware of the presence of the freight train that hit his vehicle, pushing it clear of the railway

(August 4th, 2011)

The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has published its revised guidance on level crossings – “Level Crossings: A guide for managers, designers and operators”.

The guidance supersedes the guidance contained in “Railway Safety Principles and Guidance, Part 2, Section E (RSPG2E) Guidance on level crossings, first published in 1996. The revised guidance reflects recent developments in good practice, technology and industry standards and takes account of changes in the law and recommendations from the Rail Accident and Investigation Branch. It also incorporates the previously separate guidance on the level crossing order making process which is managed by ORR.

The guidance can be downloaded from ORR’s website at: http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.1567

(August 4th, 2011)

The last level crossing in Torre del Greco, Napoli, has been eliminated; thus completing a programme to eliminate six level crossings of the Napolii – Salerno railway in the municipality.

The works necessary to eliminate the final level crossing comprise a new six metre-wide road running a distance of 350 metres linking vias Prota and Paglairone and a pedestrian over-bridge with lifts at the site of the now eliminated level crossing on Via Paglairone.

The complete programme to eliminate level crossings in Torre del Greco has cost approximately EUR 10 million of which the municipality has contributed EUR 2 million and RFI, the national rail infrastructure manager the remainder.

Since the beginning of 2010, 21 level crossings of the RFI right-of-way in the Campania region have been eliminated.

(August 3rd, 2011)

Police in Poggiardo, lecce, have arrested a 29-year-old pizza maker and a youth aged 17 for receiving copper cabling, the theft of which which caused level crossings to fail safe and the train service to be suspended between Poggiardo and Sanarica. Both the theft and subsequent arrests occurred on August 2nd, 2011.

(August 3rd, 2011)

Translink, operator of railways in Northern Ireland is appealing to motorists and pedestrians to think safe and stay safe at level crossings and elsewhere on and around the railway with the launch of its summer safety DEADLINE campaign.

The campaign coinciding with the peak holiday season is run jointly with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) aims to raise awareness of safe behaviours and prevent potentially hazardous incidents occurring at level crossings and elsewhere on the railway.

Over the past three years an average of 10 incidents of motorist and pedestrian misuse at public crossings has been recorded every month. A total of 121 people were prosecuted in the past year due to safety related incidents and were fined a total of GBP 13,000. 

The stark warning from Translink to motorists is don’t be tempted to jump the lights or beat the barriers at crossings, especially as our Class 4000 trains are being tested across the network in the coming months and travelling at speeds of up to 90mph.  Translink has CCTV in operation a level crossings and in addition, there are a number of railway employees based at crossings who record all instances of trespassing and misuse.  Translink says the risk of getting caught and potentially getting a criminal record is just too great.

PSNI’s Head of Road Policing, Superintendent Muir Clark said: “Attempting to drive across level crossings as the barriers are being lowered is an incredibly dangerous practice which could kill or seriously injure vehicle occupants or train passengers. 

“Most crossings have full or half barriers and traffic light signals. Drivers must stop behind the white line across the road when the lights come on. If you have already crossed the white line when the amber lights or audible alarm start, continue on through the crossing.

“Never zigzag around the barriers. They are being lowered because a train is approaching. Never drive on to a crossing until the road ahead on the other side of the crossing is clear. Do not drive nose to tail over it and never stop on or just after a level crossing.”

“If the barriers stay down and the red lights continue to flash after a train has passed you must wait as another train will soon be approaching. Please remember that it is only safe to cross when the lights go off and any barriers open. Police will not hesitate to take appropriate action against any driver found misusing level crossings, 

(August 3rd, 2011)

ADIF, Spain’s national rail infrastructure manager has announced that two further level crossings in the Povince of León have been eliminated. Both of the level crossings which have been eliminated were on the conventional rail line linking Palencia and Coruña and were located in the municipalities of Astorga and Magaz de Cepeda. In both cases, the level crossings have been replaced with road-over-rail bridges which with associated highway works have cost a a total of EUR 3.319 million.

(August 3rd, 2011)

Citizens in Ehlershausen, near Hanover are asking the question, are all equal in the eye of the law? Why, because pedestrians fined for misusing a level crossing have been treated very differently. In one case a fine of EUR 10 was imposed and in another EUR 350. The fines were imposed on two women who crossed the railway after the red lights had illuminated for an approaching train but before the barriers began to lower.

What makes the difference in sanctions imposed particularly interesting is that the women, who are friends, were crossing the railway together on February 23rd, 2011.  The EUR 10 fine has been imposed for an offence of ignoring a warning sign and the EUR 350 for ignoring traffic signals.

The logic for the different sanctions appears to have been driven of the police officer who stopped the two women writing up the offences differently despite the fact that it was obvious that the women were together before, during and after they crossed the railway.

(August 2nd, 2011)

ADIF, Spain’s national rail infrastructure manager, has eliminated the last level crossing in Montilla. The Fuente Alamo level crossing is the last of eight crossings eliminated since 2004. This grade separation project has cost EUR 1.8 million

(August 1st, 2011)

The Rail Safety & Standards Board (RSSB), the rail industry safety body has published the Annual Safety Performance Report for 2010-2011.

Headlines of the extensive review of risk arising at the road –rail interface are:

• Excluding suicides, four pedestrians died in accidents at level crossings in 2010/11. There were 10 major injuries and 48 reported minor injuries or cases of shock/trauma. This equated to a total FWI of 5.2, which is the lowest total in the past ten years.
• There were five collisions between trains and road vehicles at level crossings during the year, which is also a ten-year low. There has been an average of 15 accidents per year since 2001/02. There is some evidence that the underlying rate of collisions at level crossings has reduced over the past ten years.
• One of these accidents, a collision between a train and a sewage tanker on a user-worked crossing, caused the train to derail and resulted in five major injuries.
• As always, most accidents at level crossings are caused by user behaviour – misjudgements, errors and wilful misuse.
• There was a fall in the number of near misses with road vehicles at level crossings. Conversely, there was an increase in the number of reported near misses with pedestrians and cyclists.
• Overall, there were more road vehicle incursions onto the railway than last year. One incursion, when a cement lorry fell from a bridge onto a passing train, resulted in two major injuries to passengers. Most incursions result from road traffic accidents, and there is no discernable trend in these incidents. There is a downward trend in vehicles placed on the line by vandals.
• There was an increase in bridge strikes in 2010/11, but fewer of these were classified as serious or potentially serious than in the previous year.

To read more, please download the report at: http://www.rssb.co.uk/SPR/REPORTS/Pages/default.aspx
(August 1st, 2011)