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Dalwhinnie Level Crossing - Network Rail piece, May 2022

Dalwhinnie Level Crossing - Network Rail piece, May 2022


Postby gld73 » Wed May 25, 2022 10:21 am

C'mon, own up, who was the person who took 30 seconds to cross ... :lol:

There was a fairly lengthy thread on here last year about the level crossing being closed (I think the initial track of the thread got left behind as it veered off to talk about parking charges...). Bit and pieces in the news since then, but for info, Network Rail has issued this recently to give the background to its decision .... "Ben Alder Level Crossing Closure – Rationale and Q&A May 2022 – Network Rail ":
https://scotlandsrailway.com/assets/site/Ben-Alder-level-crossing-closure-QA-FINAL-MAY-2022.pdf


(My comment above relates to one of the Q&As on p.7 ... Q: How many occurrences of a pedestrians using the crossing unsafely have there been; is it only one?
A: We reacted initially to one individual using the crossing unsafely.
We were also made aware by the
Dalwhinnie Community Council of a number of residents who may also be unable to cross safely (within the
safe time limits required for vulnerable people.). )
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Re: Dalwhinnie Level Crossing - Network Rail piece, May 2022

Postby TheRealLurlock » Wed May 25, 2022 12:38 pm

The disingenuousness of their statements is astonishing.

in this instance that meant Network Rail had to react quickly and lock the level crossing gates out of use to the public

once aware of the heightened risk Network Rail, had to immediately address the insufficient safety measures that were in place to protect members of the public using the Ben Alder private level crossing. This safety concern does not involve the Azuma trains and the real risk cannot be mitigated at this location other than by preventing public access

What nonsense. Let's translate this into what it really means:

"The risk of a lawsuit and negative publicity due to an incompetent member of the public lacking common sense and taking a stupid risk, ending up injured or dead, and then blaming Network Rail for allowing such a crossing to exist, no longer makes business sense."
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Re: Dalwhinnie Level Crossing - Network Rail piece, May 2022

Postby TheRealLurlock » Wed May 25, 2022 12:51 pm

In other words, "it's fine for the authorised user because they won't, or can't, sue us. The public, however, are an unknown and uncontrollable danger. The crossing is not an unacceptable risk to the public; the public are an unacceptable risk to us."
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Re: Dalwhinnie Level Crossing - Network Rail piece, May 2022

Postby simon-b » Wed May 25, 2022 1:08 pm

I hope they don't do the same at Horton in Ribblesdale because that would mess up the 3 peaks. Not to mention the Northbound platform would only be accessible to passengers heading for or returning from Ingleborough, and people from the village could only travel to or arrive from the South.
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Re: Dalwhinnie Level Crossing - Network Rail piece, May 2022

Postby Andy Milne » Wed May 25, 2022 1:21 pm

ScotWays is asking members of the public who have used the level crossing at Dalwhinnie as part of a long-distance through route to help by completing the questionnaire.

Further information and the questionnaire can be found at www.scotways.com/dalwhinnie.

You can also email dalwhinnie@scotways.com with any queries and to request a hard copy of the questionnaire.
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Re: Dalwhinnie Level Crossing - Network Rail piece, May 2022

Postby al78 » Wed May 25, 2022 2:59 pm

I can see where they are coming from. 12 seconds warning of an oncoming for pedestrians, and occasionally a pedestrian takes 30 seconds to cross (must live in Horsham), yes there is a risk of a nasty accident, and yes there is a risk Network Rail could end up in court if a nasty accident did happen there and they were aware of the risk. Unfortunately we don't live in a world where people think "I made a mistake", but rather "I made a mistake and who is the best lawyer I can use to project that mistake onto someone else and get some compo". The UK likes to follow America.

There is an underpass which provides access to the Ben Alder footpath. Why not just use that?
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Re: Dalwhinnie Level Crossing - Network Rail piece, May 2022

Postby al78 » Wed May 25, 2022 3:01 pm

simon-b wrote:I hope they don't do the same at Horton in Ribblesdale because that would mess up the 3 peaks. Not to mention the Northbound platform would only be accessible to passengers heading for or returning from Ingleborough, and people from the village could only travel to or arrive from the South.


They are hardly likely to close a crossing which provides access to station platforms, or if they do, they will construct an alternative crossing.
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Re: Dalwhinnie Level Crossing - Network Rail piece, May 2022

Postby iain_atkinson_1986 » Wed May 25, 2022 3:57 pm

Given that trains are barely running at the moment does this make Dalwhinnie-gate a non-issue?

:lol:
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Re: Dalwhinnie Level Crossing - Network Rail piece, May 2022

Postby davekeiller » Wed May 25, 2022 7:59 pm

I don't really get the footbridge thing. There's already a footbridge at the station, so they could have put a gate in at the station and asked the estate to install a footpath. Ben Alder estate seem pretty walker friendly and they would probably have done so.
Had they done that, no one would really have had reason to get upset, and most people would have recognised that it improved safety. Instead they've been high-handed and bloody-minded, and people are understandably worried about how many more crossings are going to summarily be closed.
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Re: Dalwhinnie Level Crossing - Network Rail piece, May 2022

Postby simon-b » Wed May 25, 2022 8:04 pm

al78 wrote:
simon-b wrote:I hope they don't do the same at Horton in Ribblesdale because that would mess up the 3 peaks. Not to mention the Northbound platform would only be accessible to passengers heading for or returning from Ingleborough, and people from the village could only travel to or arrive from the South.


They are hardly likely to close a crossing which provides access to station platforms, or if they do, they will construct an alternative crossing.

Exactly. So if Network Rail don't consider pedestrian crossings to access station platforms too dangerous, what's the difference regarding the crossing in Dalwhinnie?
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Re: Dalwhinnie Level Crossing - Network Rail piece, May 2022

Postby Girl Outdoors » Thu May 26, 2022 11:05 am

Probably because trains coming into stations would be slowing down and/or expecting the possibility of pedestrians crossing?

But really I dont see what the big deal is here? Theres an underpass 200 metres away so I'd actually feel more comfortable using that and not having to worry about a train hitting me!
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Re: Dalwhinnie Level Crossing - Network Rail piece, May 2022

Postby 6Tops » Thu May 26, 2022 12:30 pm

The underpass isn't 200m away from the level crossing: it's 500m away along the railway, and 1500m for walkers/cyclists since you have to go round three and a half sides of a rectangle on the map.
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Re: Dalwhinnie Level Crossing - Network Rail piece, May 2022

Postby Essan » Thu May 26, 2022 12:42 pm

6Tops wrote:The underpass isn't 200m away from the level crossing: it's 500m away along the railway, and 1500m for walkers/cyclists since you have to go round three and a half sides of a rectangle on the map.


Aye, it's about a 1 mile diversion to the underpass from the traditional right of way - which is conveniently next to the railway station and walker's car park.

Okay, one extra mile after you've just walked from Loch Ossian to catch the last train of the day isn't much ..... But the point is, we've always previously been able to use the crossing (and without incident).
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Re: Dalwhinnie Level Crossing - Network Rail piece, May 2022

Postby simon-b » Thu May 26, 2022 12:51 pm

Girl Outdoors wrote:Probably because trains coming into stations would be slowing down and/or expecting the possibility of pedestrians crossing?

But really I dont see what the big deal is here? Theres an underpass 200 metres away so I'd actually feel more comfortable using that and not having to worry about a train hitting me!

Not all trains stop at every station. Goods trains go straight through Horton in Ribblesdale Station, for example, and it's the faster passenger trains that are less likely to stop at small stations. 6 tops mentions the extra distance for walkers is 1500m, that's 3 km extra for the whole return journey. That turns the Ben Alder 2 from a 46 km walk to 49 km, maybe not much of a percentage change, but, having done it myself in 2015, was happy not to have had that annoying little extra added to such a long day.
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Re: Dalwhinnie Level Crossing - Network Rail piece, May 2022

Postby Girl Outdoors » Thu May 26, 2022 1:05 pm

With a safe and secure secondary access only 200 metres to the
south, which also connects into the same path leading from the level crossing


Well someones not telling the truth here then!
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