Pedestrian rail crossing set to close for new gates


The pedestrian level crossing at Wareham provides the only step-free access across the railway line - Image © Dorset Council

A pedestrian railway crossing connecting two halves of a Dorset town is set to shut while its gates are replaced.

Dorset Council said the crossing at Wareham Station needed a full replacement gate system "before it potentially fails without warning". The only alternative to the crossing is a nearby footbridge accessed via steps.

Gates were installed at the pedestrian crossing after Network Rail reported a high number of people ignoring danger signals. The council pays £120,000 a year for crossing attendants to open the gates between 06:00 and midnight.

The crossing will be closed from Monday 11 May until Friday 22 May with a diversion route in place.


Dorset Council pays £120,000 a year for crossing attendants to be at the gates for safety reasons - Image © Google

Dorset Council said it appreciated the closure would be "frustrating", especially since the crossing was closed earlier this year for repairs.

The authority said: "As this work involves removing the existing gates and installing a completely new system, it cannot be completed more quickly or in stages. We know the nearby footbridge is not suitable for everyone, but we hope that by sharing this information now, it gives everyone time to plan ahead and make alternative arrangements to cross the railway line during the closure."

Yes, I would expect the early 2030s.  Which to be fair does tie in nicely with the expected life cycle of many of the trains which will be replaced, like the 150s/158s/165s and 166s GWR operate.

Good to see the hours expanding.  

To fuel the discussion on whether they would be even better 'slid' earlier, here's a graph (6 or 7 years vintage) of journey start times



Footnote - the * symbols are the times that the TransWilts services start, showing how they're before the peak in the morning, and after the peak in the evening (resulting in no practical commute opportunities);  with a later morning and earlier evening train too, the existing trains will become useful as 3 more commute opportunities are added

On this day in history – from Monday 5 May 1975 British Rail decided that two named trains, “The Cornishman” and “The Devonian”, would no longer carry their names. The reason given was that BR felt that the services fell short of the best speeds and current standards.

[continues]

In a way it proves the wealth of information here that AI wants to plunder it for their memory banks.    However it peeves me they are using our resources for their benefit. 

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — This season will likely be the last for Rocky Mountaineer’s Rainforest to Gold Rush service via the former British Columbia Railway, the company says.

The end of the service between North Vancouver and Jasper, Alberta, with overnight stays in Whistler and Quesnel, B.C., has been a Rocky Mountaineer itinerary since 2006. But Canadian National, which leases the line from the province of British Columbia, announced last year that it plans to end service on a 214-mile segment between Squamish and 100-Mile House [see “CN seeks to end lease …,” Trains.com, July 22, 2025].

I suspect the answer is that all the interchanges meet the minimum time laid down so if you do miss a connection you can use the next train at no extra cost. There is an "add extra time" option on the NRE website and possibly others, but it only allows time bands to be selected rather than going in to each step yourself and manually tweaking it, say to one train later. I'd hope it wouldn't add extra time to that Swindon change but I wouldn't bank on it!

3. ... is in Northern Ireland, by the way.

How can you cheat? Have you secreted a tracker on me at some point in the past?

23:45 London Paddington to Penzance due 07:55 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of trains because of extra safety inspections.

Additional Information
Due to a unit failure we are unable to operate this evenings Sleeper service between London Paddington and Penzance.

We have arranged for this service to be operated by one of our regular Intercity Express Trains which will offer a Standard and First Class seating service only. There will be no accommodation facilities.

And a rude awakening for those on the Up sleeper tonight.....

21:45 Penzance to London Paddington due 05:09

21:45 Penzance to London Paddington due 05:09 will be terminated at Reading.

It will no longer call at London Paddington.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

3.  I know, but again I cheated, so I won't answer here yet.

At the risk of digressing from the original point, I’d love to know how a train manager would make it through some of the packed commuter trains that we know occur on a daily basis, waving a bunch of keys for the fire extinguisher cupboard, potentially with hundreds of passengers coming in the opposite direction to avoid a fire.