Level crossings that would bring the greatest benefits if closed

[zwk500]

I think improving rail crossings (and even more rail bottlenecks) would fill several parallel discussions.

We've had a whole thread on Newark Flat crossing recently (albeit asking about electrifying it as-is).

 

[Dhansak]

Billingshurst. Admittedly it is better now, but drivers trying to beat the barriers and losing was an annoyingly regular occurrence in the past, resulting in significant disruption. There are alternative roads that may be less inconvenient, but only add a minute or two to journey times (and are frequently used when the barriers are down), so not an insurmountable loss.

 

[zwk500]

Billingshurst. Admittedly it is better now, but drivers trying to beat the barriers and losing was an annoyingly regular occurrence in the past, resulting in significant disruption. There are alternative roads that may be less inconvenient, but only add a minute or two to journey times (and are frequently used when the barriers are down), so not an insurmountable loss.

Unless you're in a vehicle taller than 3.8m/12'9", in which case the alternative route is not via Natts Lane but via Adversane Lane level crossing. This is just clear of the standard clearance required for Fire Engines (3.7m https://assets.publishing.service.g...1376d/EDG_Access_for_Fire_Tenders_CHECKED.pdf), but there is a small supermarket and an industrial estate on the 'wrong' side of the railway that would potentially be impacted by such a height restriction.

If Daux Road could be extended through to the A272 that would provide a suitable alternative route for high vehicles. There'll be hell to pay for digging up those fields for a road though.

 

[Dhansak]

True, however there are local examples of longer diversions for larger vehicles, Petworth for example. Definitely agree they'd have a job building a direct access road from the A272, although I doubt there would be much cause for it given two thirds of the town is bypassed, if you call the north eastern part (going as it does through the housing estate) a bypass...

 

[rorbla]

I’m just on the train to London from Newquay - thought I’d get the train to see what’s new on the branch line. Slightly disappointing that the only meaningful upgrade appears to be ~100m of passing loop at Goss Moor (and given the amount of time the train spent sat at a standstill elsewhere on the line, feels pretty pointless).

I’ve just realised that there’s a decent alignment (lots of straights, large curves) between Goss Moor and Luxulyan…

Tregoss Moor and Molinnis level crossings sit in the middle of this stretch with a speed limit of 20MPH - whereas it’s 50MPH around them.

Are/were Tregoss Moor and Molinnis level crossings ever slated for removal? Tregoss Moor crossing feels like it’d be barely used and feels as thought it has a sizeable impact on journey times. Molinnis is in Bugle so slightly more challenging.

I feel like if these level crossings were removed, speed limits across the wider line could be increased (to 60MPH?) too, and times between Newquay and Par could be cut substantially, which would be a big positive for the mid-Cornwall Metro.

Obviously, moving the branch to the St Dennis-Burngullow route would be a much bigger positive.

 

[brad465]

I’m just on the train to London from Newquay - thought I’d get the train to see what’s new on the branch line. Slightly disappointing that the only meaningful upgrade appears to be ~100m of passing loop at Goss Moor (and given the amount of time the train spent sat at a standstill elsewhere on the line, feels pretty pointless).

I’ve just realised that there’s a decent alignment (lots of straights, large curves) between Goss Moor and Luxulyan…

Tregoss Moor and Molinnis level crossings sit in the middle of this stretch with a speed limit of 20MPH - whereas it’s 50MPH around them.

Are/were Tregoss Moor and Molinnis level crossings ever slated for removal? Tregoss Moor crossing feels like it’d be barely used and feels as thought it has a sizeable impact on journey times. Molinnis is in Bugle so slightly more challenging.

I feel like if these level crossings were removed, speed limits across the wider line could be increased (to 60MPH?) too, and times between Newquay and Par could be cut substantially, which would be a big positive for the mid-Cornwall Metro.

Obviously, moving the branch to the St Dennis-Burngullow route would be a much bigger positive.

I don't know about the wider plans at this specific location, but I do think another contender for beneficial crossing closures, is any level crossing where the line speed markedly drops simply because of the level crossing being there, although ones directly next to stations that everything calls out can be a lower priority.

This has reminded me there is a farm-track crossing on the Redhill-Tonbridge line that causes the line speed to drop to 40mph for nothing more than 10-20 metres, with 85mph the speed on both sides. I don't know how this can be fixed though, as presumably a bridge simply for the farm/landowner's sake is too expensive to justify.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

----- the trio of crossings at Ely north junction.

My fondest hope before I die. It is needed before electrification of Felixstowe - Nuneaton and Birmingham. I think very worthwhile but very disruptive and expensive. Blockade approach would surely be needed.

 

[Bald Rick]

This has reminded me there is a farm-track crossing on the Redhill-Tonbridge line that causes the line speed to drop to 40mph for nothing more than 10-20 metres, with 85mph the speed on both sides. I don't know how this can be fixed though, as presumably a bridge simply for the farm/landowner's sake is too expensive to justify.

For private farm crossings serving only one farm property, it is relatively straightforward. Offer the farmer silly money to buy the relevant fields, or even the whole property. Close crossing. Re-sell fields to adjacent farmers. The net cost is that of the premium on buying the land above market value, removing/fencing the crossing, and a lot of legal / property agent fees. It also needs a willing seller.

It’s been done a lot, but needs quite a lot of upfront cash; there is also a risk of it all falling through and incurring all the agent / legal fees for no benefit.

Without a willing seller you can do it with a Transport and Works Act Order. Anglia did this a few years back. Sometimes the initioan of the TWAO process is enough to turn a reluctant lamdowner into a willing seller, as the compensation for land acquistion under the TWAO process is market rates.

It’s handy to habe a crisis in farmign to do this - foot & mouth in 2001 enabled scores of fsrm crossings on the WCML to be closed as part of the upgrade. But there was a team of experts already lined up to do it; Foot & Mouth just sped things up somewhat.

 

[brad465]

For private farm crossings serving only one farm property, it is relatively straightforward. Offer the farmer silly money to buy the relevant fields, or even the whole property. Close crossing. Re-sell fields to adjacent farmers. The net cost is that of the premium on buying the land above market value, removing/fencing the crossing, and a lot of legal / property agent fees. It also needs a willing seller.

It’s been done a lot, but needs quite a lot of upfront cash; there is also a risk of it all falling through and incurring all the agent / legal fees for no benefit.

Without a willing seller you can do it with a Transport and Works Act Order. Anglia did this a few years back. Sometimes the initioan of the TWAO process is enough to turn a reluctant lamdowner into a willing seller, as the compensation for land acquistion under the TWAO process is market rates.

It’s handy to habe a crisis in farmign to do this - foot & mouth in 2001 enabled scores of fsrm crossings on the WCML to be closed as part of the upgrade. But there was a team of experts already lined up to do it; Foot & Mouth just sped things up somewhat.

I've found the specific crossing, called Medhurst Row, where Prettymans Lane crosses to serve a small array of buildings that is presumably the farm. If the farm is on both sides of the railway, the big problem here is the main building complex is a dead end with only one way in and out. It appears to be surrounded by an array of other similarly laid out farms, so building an access road that avoids the railway could be tricky as this would likely go through someone else's land. At this point a bridge, if there's space, would probably be more viable.

On this Google Maps' view of the area, I've highlighted the crossing in red, while blue circles the main building complex at the end of the road and two other nearby ones that are the nearest other points a new access road would have to feed into:

(Google Maps image of Redhill-Tonbridge line circling Medhurst Row crossing and nearby farmland).