Trees on disused line

[james9977]

Sorry if this the wrong place to ask.

We have a disused line at the back of our property. It is now covered in tall trees that block the sunshine year round. Does anyone have any experience of getting Railtrack to 'manage' the trees?

I did email them a while back to ask if we could cut them down but was told 'no'.

 

[NSEWonderer]

Network Rail now, railtrack was dissolved into them.

 

[james9977]

Correction noted. Thank you.

 

[dangie]

I think they say no sometimes just because they can.
On a similar note there is a house near to us that is virtually surrounded by trees which are outside of their property. Despite the blocking of light, and potential damage caused by high winds, they have been refused all their requests & pleas to have them cut down even though they [as you have] have offered to pay themselves.

 

[eastdyke]

Welcome to the forum.

It is not clear whether, or not, the railway line is truly disused or simply mothballed. There may a difference in the way the route is managed [although in practice with resources in short supply perhaps not!].

Send a letter or email to Network Rail outlining the impact of the unmanaged trees on the enjoyment of your property, including details of any potential risks arising [for instance if the trees are especially tall or in poor condition].
Ask Network Rail to carry out appropriate management to restore your enjoyment and to mitigate risks.

This document sets out Network Rail's own management policies [may not be the latest incarnation].

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Lineside-Vegetation-Management-Manual.pdf

Extract:

1 Purpose
Lineside vegetation management is a process that uses risk assessment to
contribute to the sustainable management of the lineside estate and the safe running
of the railway infrastructure.
Risk from lineside vegetation is controlled by inspection, management and
maintenance. These activities protect the Network Rail workforce and third parties
against harm.
Responsible management of vegetation and respecting our neighbours improves the
resilience of lineside environments and stakeholder relations.
Lineside vegetation includes areas on the operational railway, closed lines, non-
operational or third party land.

 

[Ian79]

Before contacting Network Rail on this, it's probably worth the OP clarifying what they mean by "disused railway" as it could affect who owns it.
If it's, for example a fairly recently disused railway line to a colliery or power station, there's a reasonable change it's owned by Network Rail. However if it was a railway line which closed in the Beeching cuts of the 1960s or even earlier, it could be owned by any number of people - possibly Sustrans or the local council if it's being used as a bike or foot path, possibly the part of the Department of Transport which owns various old ex-railway assets like disused viaducts and bridges, or possibly the farmer or whoever owed the land next to the railway prior to its closure.