An inspector calls

STEFANIE BROWNE joins HM Principal Inspector of Railways TOM WAKE to discover the vital role ORR inspectors play in keeping the rail network safe

Of all the issues facing the railways, the subject of level crossings is perhaps the most contentious. There are nearly 6,500 of these interfaces between the road and rail networks, but they are the bane of motorists and a bugbear for train drivers.

They may be unpopular, but they serve a vital purpose: protecting road users from the increasingly busy rail network. And they’re improving all the time; the number of level crossing fatalities has fallen to its lowest level for nearly 20 years.

They are, however, complicated. There are many different types, all of them built to suit their specific circumstance, and increasingly relying on technology to make them as safe as possible. There is no ‘off-the-shelf’ solution - each crossing needs to be designed by a human to make sure it’s suitable for its intended location and, subsequently, to maintain it to an acceptable standard.

Network Rail is responsible for managing level crossing risks, but it’s the role of the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to make sure that’s being done effectively.

Tom Wake is an HM Principal Inspector of Railways for ORR. He’s regarded as one of their best (though he would never allude to that). He agreed to take me out ‘on the beat’ for a day to inspect crossings in rural Sussex. I had no idea what to expect. My knowledge of what an inspector does on the railway was formed mainly by the comprehensive reports ORR releases on safety performance.

It was only when Wake told me to bring my walking boots and to ‘be prepared for mud’ that I realised we weren’t going to be poring over spreadsheets and pie charts in his office.

We set out by road from Three Bridges on what turns out to be a hot summer day.

The plan is to visit a number of different types of crossing in the local area, in what was a fairly typical day for an inspector, though Wake tells me that the work usually includes a bit more community interaction - speaking to local residents is key to understanding how a crossing is used and how they feel about it.

But first, he tells me how the ORR operates.

“Every year we devise a programme of work for the team to go out and inspect. A lot of it is looking at what we call catastrophic risk (passenger risk).” Does the ORR inspect all crossings? “We can’t possibly inspect them all and it’s not our job to do that anyway. It’s not our job to make sure that NR’s crossings are safe. It’s their job to comply with the law. We’re checking their compliance, so it’s one step back. NR has an inspection schedule and they’ll go out and make sure the crossings are in good condition. They also do risk assessments on their crossings, and they’ve diverted much more resource into that now.”

If you’re not inspecting them all, how do you decide which crossings to visit?

“It’s based on our national view of where NR is in terms of its management of health and safety, and also our local view as well. So when I devise my team plan, I take account of national priorities, for which we have to publish strategies. I also think about what our local priorities are. This year, a lot of our work is in the management of track geometry.”

Enough theory. Wake thrusts an open OS map into my lap with pencilled circles marked along the railway line. “Can you read a map?” he asks. Now it all comes down to the trusty OS map to find our crossings. There is no special railway map with every signal, whistle board and warning light marked on it. It’s good old walkers’ territory - searching for a suitable place to leave the car, donning walking boots and desperately hoping it doesn’t rain.

And, as with any good walk, we quickly discover that some of the more obscure locations can be a challenge to find. It begins with tramping about the countryside looking for ‘railway clues’ to point us in the right direction. Thankfully, the first one is in a residential area and not difficult to spot.

I think it’s very important that level crossing closures are a local decision and not something that is simply imposed. Tom Wake , HM Principal Inspector of Railways

crossings are very good in this sort of rural location, because they provide minimal interference for traffic, with a downtime of 40 seconds at most). At any other crossing, they could be down for three or four minutes.”

The type of crossing at any particular location is based on a compromise and the likelihood of various scenarios.

“If a car was to stop on this crossing, the train driver would get no warning until he or she saw the car, by which time it would be too late to stop. That’s what happened in the Ufton Nervet incident [in 2004, an HST collided with a stationary car on a crossing in Berkshire, causing seven fatalities].”

Wake starts by checking that the crossing is going through the sequence correctly - the yodel alarm is sounding with the amber light, followed by red flashing lights. He would count the timings if the sequence isn’t right. Next is to look at the conditions. Is it a

h f f d i ?I h a crossing if that were the case. There are things that NR could do to make it safer, like i lli d i i l i l box markings on the road, for example, so that if someone ignores their warnings, they can be prosecuted. Without the level crossing order, they’re just markings on a road. Wake explains that each order is specific to the crossing it is for. It will specify every line, distance, the location of signs and markings - every last detail.

In general terms, you only need a level crossing order if it’s a traffic-type level crossing. Nearly all existing level crossings will have one associated with them.

Wake says that ORR’s policy, where at all possible, is to avoid authorising the construction of new level crossings.

“We have a safety risk management process in place for dealing with level crossing requests. We examine whether a bridge or an underpass would be more practical. We ask the industry to address those matters first before they consider the level crossing option.”

They’re the least favoured option these days, rather than an easy first choice.

Wake continues: “There’s an incredibly arcane world of road signage and traffic signs that you have to be familiar with as an inspector. A huge manual has everything in it, with its own reference number.”

Even the white lines here have a number in the book of traffic signs. It’s like a long shopping list of crossing accessories, and it’s something every inspector must master.

Wake finishes this inspection by taking a few photographs and making some notes about what he sees. For this one, he’s going to recommend that NR repaints the lines because they are wearing away. Otherwise, it all looks good, and we’re off on a short drive to the next one.