Mr. Alan W. WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many accidents there have been involving motor vehicles at railway crossings with barriers(a) in Wales and (b) in Britain in each year since 1985–86;
(2) how many accidents there have been involving motor vehicles at open railway crossings (a) in Wales and (b) in Britain in each year since 1985–86.
§ Mr. FreemanThe information requested in respect of Britain as a whole for the years 1985–89 is set out in the table. Details for 1990 are not yet available, but will be published in the Health and Safety Executive's annual report on railway safety later in the year. Separate information for Welsh crossings is not readily available.
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Crossings with barriers Year Number of accidents 1985 11 1986 10 1987 6 1988 8 1989 3
Open crossings (includes those with and without traffic signals) Year Number of accidents 1985 16 1986 11 1987 15 1988 20 1989 10
Mr. Alan W. WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the approximate capital cost and annual service costs for installing and running crossings with barriers.
§ Mr. FreemanInstallation costs range between £100,000 and £135,000, depending on the type of crossing. Annual running costs for crossings with automatic half barriers are about £12,000. Running costs for manually controlled crossings depend on the level of manning.
Mr. Alan W. WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the progress being made in introducing barriers at open railway crossings.
§ Mr. FreemanFollowing the accident at an automatic open crossing at Lockington in 1986, Professor P. F. Stott was appointed to carry out a review of safety at this type of crossing. He recommended that safety at some crossings might be improved either by providing half-barriers or by a reduction in the speed at which the train approaches the crossings.
All proposed speed reductions at crossings have now been implemented. Under the Stott recommendations 126 crossings were to be converted to half-barriers. Of these, 38 crossings have been converted to standard automatic half-barrier protection and six have been converted to automatic barrier crossings locally monitored by the train driver.
BR's target for completion of this work is late 1992. The Health and Safety Executive's railway inspectorate is keeping the programme under review and regularly monitors progress.
Mr. Alan W. WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many railway crossings are open crossings and how many have barriers(a) in Wales and (b) in Britain.
§ Mr. FreemanThe numbers of automatic open railway crossings and automatic crossings with barriers are as follows:
auto open crossings auto barrier crossings (a) In Wales 29 10 (b) In Britain 190 370 Note:—(b) include (a)
Mr. Alan W. WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people have been killed in each year since 1985–86 in accidents involving(a) open railway crossings and (b) crossings with barriers.
§ Mr. FreemanThe information for 1985–89 is as follows; that for 1990 is not yet available.
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Year Fatalities at crossings with barriers Fatalities at open crossings1 1985 3 2 1986 5 211 1987 2 2 1988 2 2 1989 — 2 1 Includes those with and without traffic signals. 2 All fatalities in one accident at Lockington.
Mr. Alan W. WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the approximate capital cost and annual service costs for installing and running open railway crossings.
§ Mr. FreemanFor automatic open level crossings the average installation cost is £73,000 and the annual running costs are about £12,000. Figures for open crossings with no lights are not readily available.