Busiest level crossing in the country

[David]

The crossing isn't too bad traffic wise considering a bridge runs under the railway for cars and other low vehicles (however that can get busy), but I'd imagine it's a real pain for lorries, etc, especially if a train heads northbound, so stops at the station, then crosses the crossing, adding time to the wait. :cry:

From my limited observations at Ely, while the route is set for northbound trains, the barriers don't close and the signal clear until the driver/guard presses the TRTS plunger, the same as what happens at Grimsby unless it's a late running train and the bobby is on the ball.

 

[Bald Rick]

The Level Crossing at Tipton on the WCML can have 15-20tph going through there, i remember waiting on a bus at the gates one day, whilst 3 trains went past in about 5-10 min, think NEWM rerouted the route to avoid the crossing.

The feasibility study for closing Tipton Owen St crossing under West Coast Route Mod, completed by a well known consultant, calculated that with the new timetable on the line, the barriers would be down for 63 mins in every hour. :roll:

Ingatestone must be a contender for busiest in terms of rail traffic, 28 trains an hour total in the peak. Barriers are up for 5-10 mins max in the hour, and doing that delays some trains.

 

[Gathursty]

I'd imagine the Berry Brow crossing (ex-Clayton Bridge station) in Manchester between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge is fairly busy.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I'd imagine the Berry Brow crossing (ex-Clayton Bridge station) in Manchester between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge is fairly busy.

4tph plus irregular freight.

 

[GarethW]

Havant and Bedhampton crossings are busy - 14 - 16 tph.

 

[Gathursty]

4tph plus irregular freight.

Ah, me forgetting the TPE services go via Guide Bridge! >.<

 

[Lrd]

As mentioned earlier, Mount Pleasant level crossing in Southampton has a fair few number of trains passing over, all services to/through Southampton Central and any ECS moves from Northam depot.

Southern has 4,
XC has 2 (4 if the Reading terminator is extended to Southampton),
FGW has 2 (plus a few extra with the Brighton runs),
SWT has 6 to/from London, 2 Pompey, 4 Romsey/Salisbury's (plus a few extra London trains which terminate at Southampton),
Plenty of freight as well.

P.S. I only typed it out so I could work out the numbers...

 

[08818]

hi everyone first post just a shout out for the crossing at spondon station lights and barriers always seem to be on permanently ! , sometimes they are down for around 10 -15 mins letting around 3-4 services through at a time .

 

[ushawk]

Think Barnes has 18 movements an hour (stopping at Barnes anyway), i think on top if that theres the Reading and Windsor services, i know it ends up in its 20's. Think i recall someone saying on here it was the busiest.

 

[NSEFAN]

As mentioned earlier, Mount Pleasant level crossing in Southampton has a fair few number of trains passing over, all services to/through Southampton Central and any ECS moves from Northam depot.

Southern has 4,
XC has 2 (4 if the Reading terminator is extended to Southampton),
FGW has 2 (plus a few extra with the Brighton runs),
SWT has 6 to/from London, 2 Pompey, 4 Romsey/Salisbury's (plus a few extra London trains which terminate at Southampton),
Plenty of freight as well.

P.S. I only typed it out so I could work out the numbers...

I notice that Totton gets about 4tph each way (2 Weymouth, 1 XC, 1 stopping service), but the barriers are usually down for a long time before the train arrives, which tends to cause a grid lock in the area, especially during the rush hour. I suspect the same problem exists at Brockenhurst.

 

[millemille]

It's been a good few years since I had any, limited involvement with level crossing and rolling stock interaction. Is it still the case that the barrier timings are set to 30 seconds closure before train passing at line speed.

But for all of the level crossings I've got personal knowledge of that are busy (barriers down for long periods) there is a station very close to the crossing and the vast majority of the trains going through the crossing are stopping/have stopped at the station and are not running anywhere near line speed.

So the crossing striker, situated at a distance equivalent to 30 seconds at line speed, is in fact giving several minutes of barrier closure before the train passes.

Is it perhaps the time for NR to start looking at basing barrier closure timing on actual train speed and intention rather line speed?

 

[M60lad]

Not to sure how busy it is but the level crossing on Station Road in Askern just outside Doncaster can be down sometimes for 5mins or more causing mayhem in the village.

I remember being on an Arriva bus about 2 years and sitting there for ages for only a passenger train to go through.

 

[The Planner]

Is it perhaps the time for NR to start looking at basing barrier closure timing on actual train speed and intention rather line speed?

I was under the impression they do, I have seen on various signalling diagrams different strike in points or treadles close to stations dependant on whether the train is stopping or passing through. As for the non-stop strike in, it has to be based on linespeed I would have thought.

 

[bILLOO]

It's not there anymore, but the old level crossing at Banbury Lane(?) on the WCML Weedon line spent most of its' life with the barriers down.

 

[The Planner]

It is a bridge now, you can still see the remains of the crossing though.

 

[Tomnick]

I was under the impression they do, I have seen on various signalling diagrams different strike in points or treadles close to stations dependant on whether the train is stopping or passing through. As for the non-stop strike in, it has to be based on linespeed I would have thought.

Correct - any AHBs with a station within the strike-in distance will have some arrangement to introduce a suitable delay into the lowering sequence for a stopping train (with a signal maintained at Danger in rear of the crossing until the sequence has been operating for a predetermined time - to make sure that the train does actually stop, and can't reach the crossing earlier than 27 (??) seconds after the sequence starts).

 

[150222]

Not to sure how busy it is but the level crossing on Station Road in Askern just outside Doncaster can be down sometimes for 5mins or more causing mayhem in the village.

I remember being on an Arriva bus about 2 years and sitting there for ages for only a passenger train to go through.

That's an awfully long time to be on a bus. Which do you think is more important? A busy passenger train or a bus with a few villagers on it?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

That's an awfully long time to be on a bus. Which do you think is more important? A busy passenger train or a bus with a few villagers on it?

Well, as GC 180s for Bradford are the only passenger trains booked over it, I would hardly call it 'busy'!

 

[millemille]

Correct - any AHBs with a station within the strike-in distance will have some arrangement to introduce a suitable delay into the lowering sequence for a stopping train (with a signal maintained at Danger in rear of the crossing until the sequence has been operating for a predetermined time - to make sure that the train does actually stop, and can't reach the crossing earlier than 27 (??) seconds after the sequence starts).

I know when I've been visiting Northam depot that I've sat at the barriers for over 2 minutes before a train went through and the same at the level crossing at Aylesford. Each time the trains have gone through at way less than line speed as they've been slowing for the station stop after the crossing or accelerating away from the station before the crossing - depending on their direction of travel.

 

[Tomnick]

I know when I've been visiting Northam depot that I've sat at the barriers for over 2 minutes before a train went through and the same at the level crossing at Aylesford. Each time the trains have gone through at way less than line speed as they've been slowing for the station stop after the crossing or accelerating away from the station before the crossing - depending on their direction of travel.

They're not AHBs. In these cases (both full-barrier), the crossing is monitored by the Signalman during the lowering sequence, and the protecting signal can't be cleared until he confirm that it's clear of obstruction - thus usually taking far longer than an AHB from sequence starting to train arriving.

 

[43167]

Kildwick & Cononley crossings on the Airedale Line between Keighley & Skipton. 4 locals PH eachway, plus a Carlisle or a Morecambe each hour and any freight. Both very close to each other and well know for the barriers to be down for 35-40mins an hour.

 

[Zamracene749]

West Worthing crossing always seemed to spend more time down than up when I used to visit mates there...

 

[jazza374]

Not sure how many trains per hour, but the one just east of Charlton station always seems to be down more often than it's up.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

It just dawned on me how busy Bentley Heath crossing (just north of Dorridge station) is too. It's not going to win the busiest crossing award, but with six LM trains, four Chiltern, two XC and fairly regular freight services passing over it then 12-14 trains per hour all day long is what we are looking at. There will be plenty of times when multiple trains pass through without the barriers going up too.

 

[ess]

in sawston south of cambridge there's a crossing leading to a stationary factory which means lots of hgvs crossing at slow speeds. that crossing is down a good five minutes before trains arrive

 

[Kernowfem]

Not sure if they are the busiest, but certainly worth a mention are the "Muskham" level crossings just outside Newark on the GNER. Very busy indeed, the barriers are down more than they are up.

 

[LAX54]

They're not AHBs. In these cases (both full-barrier), the crossing is monitored by the Signalman during the lowering sequence, and the protecting signal can't be cleared until he confirm that it's clear of obstruction - thus usually taking far longer than an AHB from sequence starting to train arriving.

AHB's are a minimum of 27 seconds, where they fall just beyond a Station there will probably be a Fast/Slow button in the signalbox to delay (if a stopper) the sequnce kicking off too early

CCTV / Gates etc, the crossing has to be closed in enough time for the tarin to get a green signal at the correct point, ie semaphore distant 'off' or on colour lights (TCB) 3 or 4 signals back.

When Colchester was resgnalled a couple of years back, there was an article in the local paper saying that one of the crossings, at certain times of the day, could be 'down' 52 mins out of every hour.

 

[Deerfold]

in sawston south of cambridge there's a crossing leading to a stationary factory

Like most factories?

 

[balne-wonderer]

Daw Lane level crossing in Shaftholme near Doncaster is a nightmare but is on a minor road so doesn’t cause that much disruption. However a little further south is Arksey and barrier down time there can cause a major tailback. Also in Doncaster there is a section of road that crosses both the ECML and the Leeds line within just a few yards. It’s two separate level crossings and both are down quite often.

Obviously any crossing on the ECML is going to be busy, the WCML has far fewer level crossings and when they do occur they are usually on minor roads. I’m always shocked at just how many crossings there are on the ECML you can come across 10 crossings in barely any distance. Between Doncaster and Balne I think there are around 9 to 10 crossings although some are rarely used.

 

[PFX]

While not the UK, the series of 5 crossings in south Dublin can see up to 12 DART trains per hour plus inter city services. 3 of these are adjacent to stations.

Conversely, what would the quietest crossings be? The Kyle line has only 8 trains a day (4 on a Sunday) though I suspect there are routes with quieter crossings than that.