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Angerstein branch line foot crossing in Charlton to close - now to stay open!

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danorak

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Surprised not to see an update to this thread: Network Rail has apologised for the way they've handled this and the permanent closure is postponed pending a review.
 
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Surreytraveller

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Surprised not to see an update to this thread: Network Rail has apologised for the way they've handled this and the permanent closure is postponed pending a review.
Possibly the way they planned it: try and sneek it through, if not, backtrack and do it properly
 

K.o.R

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On the way back from catching a shot of the Class 230 at Bletchley I also found time to nip over to Westcombe park to actually check this curiosity out. It's pretty well used. See the letter from Network Rail tied to the fence.

DSC_0740.jpg DSC_0741.jpg DSC_0742.jpg DSC_0743.jpg DSC_0744.jpg DSC_0745.jpg DSC_0746.jpg DSC_0747.jpg
 

Railwaysceptic

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On the way back from catching a shot of the Class 230 at Bletchley I also found time to nip over to Westcombe park to actually check this curiosity out. It's pretty well used.
Yes, that's what I found a few days ago when I used the crossing.
 

Baxenden Bank

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Possibly the way they planned it: try and sneek it through, if not, backtrack and do it properly
Surprised not to see an update to this thread: Network Rail has apologised for the way they've handled this and the permanent closure is postponed pending a review.
Alternatively, someone designed their splendid new signalling arrangements without giving much thought to anything or anyone else. Silo mentality. Having done that, the foot crossing happened to be in the way of the new arrangments, and it was assumed that it could simply be closed using the good old-fashioned 'safety' excuse but without any evidential back-up. Sufficient people, of sufficient 'stakeholder' importance waded in. Immovable object meets irresistable force.

What progress, if any, has been made on consultation or formal closure since the 'postponement'?
 

Mikey C

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I've only included an exert from the petition article. There's a Zoom meeting with NR tonight to discuss this

15 SEP 2021 —

This morning we received the following excellent news from our MP Matthew Pennycook:

Good morning all,

I have just concluded a (remote) meeting with John Halsall, Network Rail’s Managing Director (Southern Region), and I’m very pleased to inform you that the planned closure of the Angerstein crossing has now been cancelled.

It would appear that, as a result of the collective pressure we exerted, an independent review was commissioned by Network Rail which concluded that there are sufficient grounds in this case to disapply the national algorithm that the organisation uses to determine safety risk at individual crossings.

As such, Network Rail are content to treat Angerstein as an exception to their general policy vis-à-vis such crossing closures.

Good article here, where the NR case is disproved. E.g.

Claims that the crossing was extremely dangerous fell apart under scrutiny. They had claimed “many incidents where drivers of trains had to apply their emergency brakes to avoid people on the track” yet a Freedom of Information request showed one incident of that happening over the past three years.

 
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Nicholas Lewis

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Absolute joke it was ever proposed for closure and NRs obsession with closing footpaths on low risk lines is plainly wasteful in time, resources and money.
 

ScotGG

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It was always a very odd argument to close.

Whenever a train does pass over, which is handful of times a day at most, it travels *extremely* slowly and an army of people appear from the concrete plant to watch for people.

NR wanted to make it harder for thousands of residents to reach the nearby station through closure. Joined up thinking? Not in evidence, and rightfully reversed.

It showed silo-like thinking of NR not considering the TOC. Hopefully GBR bringing infrastructure and operating divisions closer together can assist in future to avoid similar.
 
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