Following the upgrading of the level crossings on the Guildford Reigate line we received some further information which may answers some questions being raised by parishioners - in particular why are the waiting times longer?
Many thanks for your email. I’ve attached the below as a narrative about the level crossing barrier down time at following our recent upgrades on the North Downs Line. Regarding your point about level crossings working in tandem, I can confirm all the crossings on this route operate independently from each other.
Tangley, Brook and Burrows level crossing used to use an Automatic Half Barrier system which operated using 1970s striking point technology. When a train reached a designated point on the railway, an alarm sounds and the barriers (which only cover half the road) were lowered, only rising when the train has cleared the crossing. This process occured without any intervention or visual confirmation by our signallers. These crossings were ranked as some of the riskiest on the Wessex route.
The AHB crossings could not continue to exist in their current form. To prevent Network Rail shutting the crossings entirely, they have been upgraded to either a Manually Controlled Full Barrier Crossing using CCTV in the case of Tangley, or a Manually Controlled Full Barrier Crossing using Obstacle Detection in the case of Brook and Burrows.
Now at Tangley, when a train approaches a new crossing, a signaller in the Guildford Area Signalling Centre will monitor the crossing remotely, lowering the barriers when safe to do so. At Brooks and Burrows, the barriers will begin to close as before, while a radar continuously scans the crossing to make sure nothing has been trapped in between the barriers. All three crossings now have barriers that fully block the road.
The new crossings have been designed to be easier to maintain, and our analysis shows the work will decrease the risk of an incident by 97%.
This operation has led to longer wait times at the crossing, in this case the average barrier time has increased post our commissioning works in September. This new time is in line with our national barrier down time standards. The increased barrier down time is to make sure the crossing is and remains clear during the entirety of its operation. The table below details the changes:
Crossing Existing Down Time Forecast Down Time Tangley (AHB to MCB-CCTV) 45 seconds 155-180 seconds Chilworth (MCB-CCTV to MCB-CCTV) 105-165 seconds 125-165 seconds Brook (AHB to MCB-OD) 40 seconds 149-172 seconds Burrows Lane (AHB to MCB-OD) 40 seconds 110-165 seconds We have a legal responsibility to reduce risk on the railway, this involves upgrading AHB crossings where the risk to all users is at an unacceptable level, and our teams will continue to strike a balance between running the railway and being a responsible neighbour to the local community.
As ever if you have any further questions please do not hesitate to let me know.
Kind regards,
Harry Riley (He/Him/His)
Public Affairs Manager
Southern: Wessex