construction materials across pedestrian crossing

[Dan watson]

hi all,

i am in need of your help. I have a house renovation to complete, the only access is through a pedestrian crossing. all materials will have to be man handled across the track on sunday mornings when the train is not running, is this viable??? do i have to inform national rail? do i have any rights to do this?

Thanks in advance.

dan

 

[ainsworth74]

If you are planning on blocking the crossing for longer than it would take someone to walk across normally then I would strongly advise contacting the signaller (if there is a telephone at the crossing to do so). If there is no telephone at the crossing then I advise contacting Network Rail* directly and informing them of the situation and enquire as to what arrangements can be made to use the crossing safely well in advance of actually using the crossing the for this purpose, though thinking about it it might be a good idea to contact them anyway.

Also just because there are no trains in the public timetable does not mean that you can assume that there are no trains at all, there could be freight, empty coaching stock or engineering trains all due to travel over the section in question none of which would appear in the public timetable.

* Network Rail are the owner/operator of the railway infrastructure. National Rail are a service provided by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) for the public to find out information about the passenger railway and ticketing and as such have nothing to do with infrastructure.

 

[Old Timer]

If the work WILL potentially obstruct the line even for short periods then there is a person known as the "Outside Parties Engineer" who handles these types of requests. If you speak to the NR Helpline they should be able to give you the contact name and number for the Outside Parties Engineer for your area.

The genral rule applied in Infrastructure is that any items/objects must be capable of being moved by two men from the track to the side and all persons clear at least 10 seconds before the train passes. This is not the time taken to cross, but the time it would take to remove the item if it fell onto the track whilst being carried.

 

[Dan watson]

hi old timer, thanks for your reply, would i employ the engineer? is this a better route than speaking to the "asset protection management team"?

I am concerned logistics of moving the materials across by hand across the track will become too expensive for my client if network rail are involved.

The client gutted his property and manhandled all the waste material across the track via a pedestrian crossing without informing anyone.

What would be the consequences of this if i didnt seek permission???????

Thanks

 

[BigVince76]

What would be the consequences of this if i didnt seek permission???????

A train could hit you and you could die.

 

[Bald Rick]

hi old timer, thanks for your reply, would i employ the engineer? is this a better route than speaking to the "asset protection management team"?

I am concerned logistics of moving the materials across by hand across the track will become too expensive for my client if network rail are involved.

The client gutted his property and manhandled all the waste material across the track via a pedestrian crossing without informing anyone.

What would be the consequences of this if i didnt seek permission???????

Thanks

The Outside Parties Engineer is what we used to call Asset Protection Engineers in the Asset Protection team.

Clearly it depends on the scale of the job, but all you may end up having to do is documenting what you will be doing, when and how, how you contact the signaller in an emergency, and a few other details. The Asset Protection team would review this and assuming they were happy they would approve it and that would probably be the end of it. You would have to sign an agreement of course. I think there is a charge but I don't know how much.

The alternative if you get it wrong is unthinkable both in terms of financial and criminal liability. Especially now you know!

 

[michael769]

A train could hit you and you could die.

and if you survived and whoever is helping you did not, or if you dropped something that derailed a train, how does 25 years as Big Joe's prison "girlfriend" sound? (Manslaughter if you are wondering).

Or if you give a train driver a scare - you will still end up with a hefty fine and a criminal record (or a couple of months in jail if the magistrate is having a bad day). Misuse of level crossings is a huge problem for the railways and they don't do slapped wrists any more.

 

[Old Timer]

As Bald Rick has said you only need to speak with them. In my experience they are pretty helpful, as they would prefer people spoke to them rather than do something and then end up witha problem.

I would not get too worked up about liabilities and costs and risks etc, as I assume you will be carrying normal materials across and you wont be using plant to cross over with anything ?

If it is only small materials then as long as you could remove them if they fell onto the track as a train was sighted then you should be fine, if it is anything else then you will probably be able to arrange to take it across when the line is closed or under a Possession by a simple arrangement with the Signalman.

Best thing to do is to have a chat with them first.

 

[sbt]

Looking at it more positively, the Outside Parties Engineer will probably have seen this, or a similar, situation many more times than you have. He may be able to offer useful advice on the best way of getting the job done, not just from the railways point of view but also yours.

 

[BestWestern]

Or if you give a train driver a scare - you will still end up with a hefty fine and a criminal record (or a couple of months in jail if the magistrate is having a bad day). Misuse of level crossings is a huge problem for the railways and they don't do slapped wrists any more.

Unless you're some farmer tw*t with a tractor and trailer parked over the line whilst you feed your bloody horses.... Nice easy suspended prison term anyone? :roll: