Ten years have passed since the tragedy of the rail crash at Ufton Nervet. There have been further tragedies at the same location and so far no change to the level crossing.
I have kept it alive in my thoughts and have regularly pressed for action to make the crossing safer. The railway has for a long time said they wish to solve it by building a bridge over the tracks. They have confirmed this again and are now pressing on with plans to acquire land and putting forward a proper project.
I will keep up the pressure for them to do as they promise. They do need to take suitable action to improve the safety of this location. I regret that they have still not taken other actions to improve it pending their bridge.
November 8, 2014
John, I have read a few articles on this and can’t see any difference between the Ufton Nervet crossing and the thousands of other crossings that exist in England today. I feel, in the absence of any proof to the contrary, that this is total over-reaction and pointless exercise. If a suicidal man parks on a railway line and 7 innocent people die as a result, how should we respond? After 10 years the government decides to spend money that it doesn’t have on a bridge. Does the bridge prevent the same occurrence happening again? Surely now the next suicidal person will drive one mile from the bridge in either direction and simply park on the railway line?
I feel the building of a bridge is a total over-reaction (if you can call a 10 year gap a reaction), and a pointless waste of money.
Reply I suggested other ways to try to improve safety here which were cheaper and quicker, but the railway has decided it wants to build a bridge and has the money. It has been too easy at this crossing to create an accident, whether by design or by misfortune.