Trivia: Level crossings with no pedestrian access while they're down

[Javelin_55]

Hi all, apologies if this has been answered before, but can't see anything on a general search.

My local station is Littlehaven in West Sussex. The station has an MCB crossing at the north end which, once lowered, provides no access to the other side for pedestrians whatsoever. No footbridge, underpass, barrow crossing - nothing.

Yesterday the barriers were lowered at 10:20 for the fast Up service to London, which passed 10:22. They stayed lowered for the fast Down train coming into Horsham that passed 10:24. Then the barriers continued to be held down for the stopping Thameslink Up service which arrived 10:28 and departed 10:29. The Up platform is most heavily used by the locals, but many are located on the Down side. In this example, unless you crossed the road nine minutes before the train was due, you were trapped on the wrong side. Yesterday I saw a large number of frustrated people watch their train arrive and then depart without them on it, despite having got there in what would be considered good time at any other station. The spacing of the fast and stopping services mean this is a regular occurrence, and I must confess to being surprised no other access has been implemented. Apart from the station serving ~227,000 passengers last year, the new secondary school which has been built north of Horsham means in the peak hours there are hundreds of kids walking down that road. On occasions when the barriers have failed and crowds have built up, I've seen some push their way through and cross anyway.

This got me wondering how many other examples there are of this arrangement. I've been to numerous other stations with full barriers in the South East and I'm struggling to think of many others where you're stuck on one side for the duration. Pevensey Bay springs to mind, but with only nine stopping services currently per day, I imagine it has far less of an impact.

Additionally I've been trying to locate a Rail User Group that represents the area but haven't found any - does anyone know if one exists?

 

[MichaelAMW]

There are loads of places like this. I was on a train at Feniton once that was several minutes early and sat with its tail end blocking the crossing, while helpless prospective passengers waited on the opposite side.

 

[Lurcheroo]

Hello, there is one on the Cambrian Line, Caersws which has a CCTV crossing that just be down for the train to enter before going over the crossing. The carpark is on the opposite side to the single platform so if the train is early then you will be stuck on the wrong side. As drivers many of us take this into account as if you go ‘flat out’ From Tallerddig to Caersws you could be 4-5 minutes early so we will take it easy and try to be there exactly on time. A much smaller station and single line so much less of an issue although the wait for the next train could be 2 hours !!

Gobowen on the Shrewsbury to Chester line is another example. My farther parked at Gobowen and was planning to get the train to Chester, which is on the opposite side. Train from Chester arrived, dad was stuck on the wrong side and off his train went without him, ended up driving to Chester instead!

 

[OscarH]

Fishbourne, Nutbourne and Southbourne all have no other way to cross to my knowledge. The former two have AHBs I believe, the latter a full MCB. There's numerous stations where the footbridge/subway is not accessible, so the level crossing is the official accessible route (Ford, Angmering)

 

[Sun Chariot]

Fishbourne, Nutbourne and Southbourne all have no other way to cross to my knowledge. The former two have AHBs I believe, the latter a full MCB. There's numerous stations where the footbridge/subway is not accessible, so the level crossing is the official accessible route (Ford, Angmering)

You beat me to it Yes, absolutely. I'll check Nutbourne at the weekend; I can't recall whether there's a pedestrian gate allowing access.

Also at Marchwood, on the old Fawley Refinery branch. With an added bonus of being manually-operated crossing gates.

Bedhampton too; but that's just a consequence of the station footbridge's aborted repaint job. The bridge has been closed since early September 2023; and no sign of further work, let alone a reopening.

 

[sannox]

Stevenston in Ayrshire is like this. The train from Glasgow arrives 3 to 4 minutes before the train to Glasgow and the barriers typically remain down. Locals have asked for the footbridge to be reinstalled but that is a big undertaking.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Poppleton (penultimate station before York on the line from Leeds via Harrogate and Knaresborough) is like that. Level crossing barriers come down several minutes before the train is due, which is fair enough, but then there's no legitimate way across the tracks.

 

[156421]

Topsham certainly was in 2014 although I haven't been there since

 

[Twingo37175]

Bentley (Yorks), in South Yorkshire is similar for this. The car park is on the Leeds bound side, so I impacts those heading to Doncaster and Sheffield. Only way across if level crossing, which can be held down for LNER trains and also freight. Plenty drive to Adwick as it can be quicker.

 

[Crossover]

Chathill was one when I visited a few years ago, and can't imagine it is any different now.

Allens West was another where I recall having to be at the right side of the barriers before the train we needed approached

 

[themiller]

Cumbrian coast line has several including Silecroft, Bootle, Green Road, Foxfield, Drigg

 

[Kite159]

Wem is another station where you could easily get 'trapped' on the wrong side as those barriers came down a good few minutes before the train arrived. Especially if you get an express going the other way before the stopper comes.

 

[156421]

Cumbrian coast line has several including Silecroft, Bootle, Green Road, Foxfield, Drigg

Pedestrians can still get across when the barriers are across the road at Drigg. There is a separate footpath. This saved my plans on one occasion, due to unexpected last minute arrival at station for a northbound departure.

 

[bishdunster]

Norden on the Swanage Railway.

 

[FrodshamJnct]

Hale though I suppose you could go onto the station and over the footbridge.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Hale though I suppose you could go onto the station and over the footbridge.

Don't think Hale counts.The OP did specify stations with no access to the other side for pedestrians whatsoever. No footbridge, underpass, barrow crossing - nothing.

 

[The Puddock]

Kirknewton and Kingsknowe.

 

[dk1]

Oulton Broad North. Magnetic wicket gates were taken out of use and padlocked many years ago. There was once a footbridge. Passengers get stranded on the wrong side most days.

 

[station_road]

Many examples of this - on the train I'm on at the moment, Alsager and Tutbury & Hatton

 

[jammmmmsssssss]

Waterbeach is another one

 

[The North Briton]

Howden. Car park on the ‘wrong’ side of the barriers when travelling towards Leeds/York.

 

[Ashley Hill]

The residents of Lostwithiel have been campaigning for a footbridge at its level crossing for years. It now seems their wish is being granted according to this BBC report.
Footbridge returning to Lostwithiel railway station https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-68723096

 

[RailwayRookie]

Downham Market (Norfolk) used to have a barrow crossing that was closed due to misuse, leaving no alternative.

The local council rejected more than one proposal for a footbridge and still claim the railway could be made safer.
Fortunately unless you are unlucky with a freight trains timing, you have enough time between the barriers going up and the train departing to make it.

 

[geoffk]

Chathill was one when I visited a few years ago, and can't imagine it is any different now.

And you don't want to miss your train at Chathill. Topsham hasn't changed (post #8), while nearby Pinhoe has the same arrangement (there was a footbridge there years ago). Navigation Road is a busy one, with trams every few minutes.

 

[ac6000cw]

Waterbeach is another one

...although at least that's an AHB crossing so the 'closed' times are fairly short.

Great Shelford (just south of Cambridge), Westerfield (on the Felixstowe branch) and Manea are all full barrier crossings with no other means of crossing the line or between the platforms.

 

[Dr_Paul]

There used to be fun and games at North Sheen, which frequently sees the crossing closed to motors on Manor Road for three or four trains. When I was a kid, there was access to the station -- it has an island platform -- via a footbridge from either side of the line, along paths from Manor Road. The footbridge, a classic SR concrete one, needed to be replaced because of corrosion, but the replacement allowed access only from one side of the line, the northern side. Anyone wishing to use the station approaching from the south had to wait until the barriers were up, which could be quite some time; I've waited there ten minutes or more. Calls for steps up to the footbridge on the south side were ignored, and the southern access path became blocked by new electrical equipment boxes. Eventually, after many years, another footbridge was built, on the other side of Manor Road, which has solved the problem, although anyone wishing to go to the station from the south needs, if the barriers are down, to negotiate two separate footbridges, two up and two down staircases.

 

[alxndr]

Darsham
Kintbury
Midgham

 

[matchmaker]

Cornton No 1 in Stirling was AHB but is now MCB (OD) with no pedestrian access when the barriers are down.

 

[Magdalia]

My local station is Littlehaven in West Sussex. The station has an MCB crossing at the north end which, once lowered, provides no access to the other side for pedestrians whatsoever. No footbridge, underpass, barrow crossing - nothing.

In this part of the world stations are often located where the railway crosses a road on the level. Many of these stations have no alternative crossing for pedestrians.

Some of the busiest for rail traffic are Roydon, Shelford, Shepreth, Foxton, Waterbeach and Manea.

 

[Lewisham2221]

Many examples of this - on the train I'm on at the moment, Alsager and Tutbury & Hatton

Blythe Bridge as well on that line