Emergency closure of level crossing near Beverley after spate of incidents including fatality

The closure of the England Springs crossing at Woodmansey, on the outskirts of Beverley, came as a surprise to walkers and means people living on the other side of the tracks now face a long walk to cross into town.

Although a notice at the crossing advises walkers and horseriders the closure could last six months, people may have to wait until 2024 for a bridge to be built across the tracks nearby.

Network Rail, which manages around 6,000 crossings, told Beverley Civic Society that the most recent risk assessment showed that it "has risen to an unacceptable level".

Developers are building houses in the field adjacent to the bridleway and Network Rail said a camera put up at the crossing in September showed that "vulnerable" users with sight or hearing problems were distracted by the construction work.

They apologised for the closure in an email to the civic society, but insisted it was necessary.

It said: "England Springs level crossing requires users to be able to see and hear approaching trains, exacerbating both factors above.

"On top of these findings, there have been two recent incidents on-site, one non-suspicious fatality in October 2022 and a near miss in November 2022.

"As such, the crossing risk reached intolerable levels, use was putting users at risk, and the crossing protections were undermined by external factors.

"An emergency closure had to be undertaken to protect the general public and train staff alike."

The bridge which is part of plans for extensive housebuilding in the area was due to be completed by February 2023, but this has been pushed back to 2024.

An East Riding Council spokesperson said : "The council's planning policies require a new pedestrian and equine bridge to be built to connect the developments on either side of the railway line.

"We are working on plans for this new bridge, but we are still in the very early stages of working on a detailed design, before we can submit a planning application. Horses will be able to go over the new bridge.

"Our current programme shows the bridge to be constructed in 2024. We are still exploring options for how this work will be funded."

One local said: "Normally you get dozens of walkers up and down here and horseriders too. They just closed it without warning.

"It's horrendous for the people living on the other side of the tracks, who now have a two-mile walk."

Level crossings were built when the railway was first constructed in the Victorian times.

Network Rail has closed more than 1,100 level crossings since 2009. In its 2019 to 2029 strategy, the company estimated that over 3.5 million vehicles and more than 600,000 pedestrians or cyclists use level crossings every day. It added: “Given that trains can travel over those same crossings approximately 400,000 times per day, it is unfortunately inevitable that incidents will happen.”