The railway crossing at Station Road in Hoghton is on my regular running route. I’m not alone in making the decision to stop using it entirely.
Last month, Kerry Coombes, a 33-year-old mother and community stalwart, was killed when the car she was driving was hit by a train at the crossing. Her daughter, eight, is in a critical but stable condition in hospital.
Evidence from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch said that the train passed a green signal on approach, but the crossing’s warning lights and alarm did not activate and the barriers were still raised.
Read more: ‘They truly looked up to Kerry’ dance academy teacher pays tribute to mum who died in Hoghton crash
It took almost a month to confirm what one glance at the CCTV pointed at the crossing could’ve told us. Contrary to the crass and ignorant comments from the “Just Saying” crowd on Facebook, Kerry did not rush across past flashing lights because she was late and trying to save a few minutes.
At 10am last week after the results of that preliminary investigation were released, I ran over the nearby A675 and sat at the crossing for around half an hour. Everything seemed to be working as normal at that point, though it need only fail once, but the crossing is already essentially out of use.
In that time, one Royal Mail driver, dropping off either side of the crossing, went over the tracks. It was strange to watch him edge forward, try to glance both ways despite a very poor line of sight on a track that bends away at both sides, before whizzing across. Rather him than me.
Public trust in the crossing has completely collapsed and it’s no surprise. A petition has been started which has amassed over 1,000 signatures calling for it to be permanently closed. A closure of some description, even temporarily pending the outcome of the investigation, can’t come soon enough.
Network Rail’s own internal documents show that automatic half-barrier crossings, the type at Station Road, carry a much higher risk to the public than any other type of crossing. It also states that the risk is balanced with the convenience offered to road users. Station Road offers close to zero in the way of convenience. A bridge over the tracks is less than a minute away.
In an incident on the 10 July, it was reported that barriers were not lowering when the lights were flashing. Network Rail was quick to reassure, saying that they had sent engineers to the site and everything was working properly. They don’t actually need to send anyone – they can monitor the crossing remotely, but did so out of a desire to reassure people.
MPs are usually respectful of ongoing investigations but even Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the MP for Chorley and whose parliamentary constituency covers the crossing, says he has his doubts and concerns.
Closing the crossing today would cause practically zero inconvenience to people, while reassuring the public that no repeat incidents will occur. Doing this temporarily while the crossing, and the incident, is under investigation should be the very minimum.
You can sign the petition here.
