Since the closure of Bescar Lane and New Lane signal boxes near Southport in the 1990s, there has only been a single absolute block section between the ML148 signal on the approach to Meols Cop station and the BB2 signal at Burscough Bridge station. On Saturday, a Southport - Stalybridge service was held at Southport station until a late running Alderley Edge service in front (which doesn’t stop at certain stations and so had to be sent first) had cleared the ML148 signal, but was then held at the ML148 signal itself until the train in front had cleared the BB2 signal a distance of roughly 7 miles away! When held at this signal, trains aren’t even able to proceed as far as Meols Cop station, a much more sensible place to wait.
It is not unsafe for a train to proceed onto a line where the next train is 7 miles in front of it, so my question is, is this simply too long for the section to be and what are the longest ones in Britain. Is this one of them?
It is not unsafe for a train to proceed onto a line where the next train is 7 miles in front of it, so my question is, is this simply too long for the section to be and what are the longest ones in Britain. Is this one of them?