Commondale

[Gathursty]

Commondale - a small halt on the Esk Valley Line - is only accessible through a farmers field.

What would NR/Northern do if the farmer decided to restrict access through the field for whatever reason they wish?

Inspired by the Teesside Airport/IBM discussions.

 

[mike57]

Is the access a public footpath? If so access cannot be restricted unless the footpath is diverted. If access is only permissive then it could be blocked, and station would become redundent.

 

[Gloster]

If the access is permissive, there may be an agreement between the landowner and Network Rail. Whether NR would go as far as taking legal action if the landowner unilaterally broke the agreement by blocking access is another matter.

 

[AlterEgo]

There is indeed a public footpath to Commondale station.

 

[Gloster]

There is indeed a public footpath to Commondale station.

Which would make it the local council’s responsibility, probably through their Highways Department or a Footpath Officer, to take action against the farmer. Unfortunately, footpath closures tend not to be a high priority nowadays, although making a station inaccessible might be high-profile enough to force them to act.