Busiest level crossing in the country

[MidnightFlyer]

By either trains over it per hour (M-F off-peak) or the amount of time it is 'down' per hour. Though I am sure they aren't the busiest, the ones between Hitchin and Peterborough on the ECML have 14~tph over them - that's double Lincoln High St.

Is there a definitive answer (or, better still, a list) out there?

 

[tsr]

Also: which is the busiest road that travels over a level crossing?

 

[Welshman]

Whilst not very busy in terms of tph, the crossing to the east of Sleaford station can certainly cause gridlock in the whole town while waiting for a 2-car 156 Skeggy service to pass.

Also the crossing further down the line at Heckington could cause delays of up to 10 minutes or so because of the positioning of the signals and the need for overlap.

 

[ushawk]

I always thought it was the most amount of trains which run over the crossing an hour - i think Barnes is the busiest for that.

 

[cawky22]

Tallington North of Peterborough seems busy.

 

[mountainmike]

That one just east of Exeter St David's or the one just north of Donny on the ECML

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Hampden Park, Eastbourne with 253 trains a day is up there according to this.

Langley Green on the Snow Hill lines headed towards Stourbridge has 12tph for most of the day (7am-7pm) with more (14tph+?) in the peaks.

 

[martinsh]

Tallington North of Peterborough seems busy.

Helpston would be busier as it also has the Peterborough - Leicester line. This crosses 6 tracks - is that the most ?

 

[tsr]

Reigate level crossing is on the A217 and can cause gridlock if the M23 is closed, as the section of the A217 over the crossing is one of the motorway's diversion routes. There can be lengthy tailbacks in the rush hour anyway. Admittedly the number of trains per hour is not particularly high.

In the same area, I always think the Salfords foot crossing over the BML is pretty dangerous given the speed and number of trains, as well as four lines. Whether or not you'd count this as a crossing, I don't know, given that it is rarely used, for obvious reasons!

 

[Twoonthebuzzer]

Red Cow at Exeter St David's and Mount Pleasent at St Denys are both very busy in terms of trains per hour and road usage!

Also, not as busy but still busy are Bishton Crossing at Llanwern and Alstone Crossing at Cheltenham!

 

[jopsuk]

The level crossings on the lee valley route via Tottenham Hale have 10tph each way (for a total of 20tph), the majority "fast" and "express" services. to make matters worse, some of the crossings are at the "front" end of the platform, immediately after the ramp (in one direction*)- so the barriers have to be down whilst stopping trains make their stop.

Time is important mindyou- if a crossing is relatively "quiet" but the barriers come down three-six minutes before a train appears, then from a road user perspective it could be worse than one where the barriers are constantly up and down,

*At Roydon, a bit further north on a quieter stretch, the platforms are staggered either side of the crossing. The wrong way.

 

[MCR247]

*At Roydon, a bit further north on a quieter stretch, the platforms are staggered either side of the crossing. The wrong way.

Oh God.

 

[12CSVT]

I'd have to agree with the Lea Valley (Tottenham Hale to Cheshunt) having some very busy crossings. A few weeks ago I was on the platform at Northumberland Park and the barriers were down for four trains - firstly a northbound Stansted, as soon as that was through a southbound came through, then a Cambridge service (little more than 2 minutes behind the Stansted), and finally another southbound.

 

[DownSouth]

I'd have to agree with the Lea Valley (Tottenham Hale to Cheshunt) having some very busy crossings. A few weeks ago I was on the platform at Northumberland Park and the barriers were down for four trains - firstly a northbound Stansted, as soon as that was through a southbound came through, then a Cambridge service (little more than 2 minutes behind the Stansted), and finally another southbound.

I was at one here in Adelaide (South Australia) the other day where four passenger trains went through without the barriers going up. The ironic thing was that the barriers would have been down for longer if it was just one 1,500 metre freight service going through!

 

[Waddon]

The crossing at Ford always seems busy when I'm there, often barriers down for three trains at a time, or just opening long enough to let a dozen cars and vans through before closing again.

 

[apk55]

Navigation Road level crossing near Altrincham must be a good contender. It has two independent single track railways, one Metrolink and one network rail. The metrolink tram service runs trams at down to 6min intervals each way and the network rail has an hourly passenger service with a considerable number of heavy freight trains. The road crossing is also quite a busy suburban road, with a bus service. Traffic regularly backs up 100's of metres.
Also on the same section of track a short distance away is Deansgate lane level crossing which has exactly the same train service but the road is much quieter.

 

[dk1]

Ely station level crossing can be down for several trains at a time. As this is the main East-West route in the City & the only way HGVs/buses can pass, it can cause severe congestion.

 

[jopsuk]

On my way before Christmas, I changed at Ely, alighting at half eight and boarding twenty minutes later. In that time, the crossing was open to road traffic for all of about five minutes. On one occasion that it did open, only a couple of vehicles made it through. The queue subesequently backed up sufficiently to block cars from using the underpass; this queue rapidly backed up off into the distance.

 

[Harbon 1]

During the christmas market in lincoln, the barriers were down, on average, for 40 minutes every hour, thus trapping everyone on either side of the railway

 

[IanXC]

I think I'm right in saying that Spring Bank West in Hull is the widest UK level crossing. Crosses a busy city centre dual carriage way at something like 130 degrees.

 

[sidmouth]

Re Ely if and when EMT divert Norwich to Liverpool trains back onto the avoiding line (as pre 1989) that should save 4 closures per hour...

 

[MCR247]

I think I'm right in saying that Spring Bank West in Hull is the widest UK level crossing. Crosses a busy city centre dual carriage way at something like 130 degrees.

It does look pretty wide for trains if you get what I mean

(opposed to being wide for cars ie having to cross over 4 tracks)

 

[northwichcat]

Navigation Road level crossing near Altrincham must be a good contender. It has two independent single track railways, one Metrolink and one network rail. The metrolink tram service runs trams at down to 6min intervals each way and the network rail has an hourly passenger service with a considerable number of heavy freight trains. The road crossing is also quite a busy suburban road, with a bus service. Traffic regularly backs up 100's of metres.

The combined tram+train frequency in the peaks gives 23 rail units going over each level crossing in an hour. Not having a footbridge at Navigation Road station makes it worse as train and tram passengers have to walk across the level crossing if they arrive on the 'wrong side'.

 

[Statto]

The Level Crossing at Tipton on the WCML can have 15-20tph going through there, i remember waiting on a bus at the gates one day, whilst 3 trains went past in about 5-10 min, think NEWM rerouted the route to avoid the crossing.

 

[Donny Dave]

Re Ely if and when EMT divert Norwich to Liverpool trains back onto the avoiding line (as pre 1989) that should save 4 closures per hour...

IIRC, it was the Norwich - Birmingham services that went via the avoiding curve to avoid the run round in Ely station. Services to Liverpool were usually from Cambridge, which didn't need to run round. Again, I could be totally wrong, and if so, I'll stand corrected.

Another contender would be the crossings at Claypole, just south of Newark, especially the one on Stubton road.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

The Level Crossing at Tipton on the WCML can have 15-20tph going through there, i remember waiting on a bus at the gates one day, whilst 3 trains went past in about 5-10 min, think NEWM rerouted the route to avoid the crossing.

Aye, it closed when the station was rebuilt last year. I seem to remember a couple between Birmingham and Coventry and between Rugby and Roade closed for the VHF timetable too.

 

[Statto]

Aye, it closed when the station was rebuilt last year. I seem to remember a couple between Birmingham and Coventry and between Rugby and Roade closed for the VHF timetable too.

I didn't realise that.

There's a few level crossings in Coventry on the WCML not sure of the tph

 

[brad465]

Ely station level crossing can be down for several trains at a time. As this is the main East-West route in the City & the only way HGVs/buses can pass, it can cause severe congestion.

The crossing isn't too bad traffic wise considering a bridge runs under the railway for cars and other low vehicles (however that can get busy), but I'd imagine it's a real pain for lorries, etc, especially if a train heads northbound, so stops at the station, then crosses the crossing, adding time to the wait. :cry:

 

[Ploughman]

I think I'm right in saying that Spring Bank West in Hull is the widest UK level crossing. Crosses a busy city centre dual carriage way at something like 130 degrees.

I understand that it contains 365 BOMAC panels or did, haven't seen it in 2 years, I don't think any other crossing gets near it.
I have seen it completely removed twice now during track renewals.
Its murder on a Saturday night if the road is closed with drunks climbing over barriers and ballast trains.
BTP or civil Police don't want to know.

 

[matt]

I didn't realise that.

There's a few level crossings in Coventry on the WCML not sure of the tph

Not any more there isn't. Canley, Tile Hill and Berkswell have all been closed for several years now. Canley is closed, Tile Hill is now a bridge and Berkswell is an under-pass.