§ Lord Bradshawasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many lorries have hit the railway overbridge at Langley (near Slough) in the past 12 months; how many minutes of delay have been incurred by trains as a result; whether any lorry drivers have been prosecuted; and what action is being taken to improve the situation. [HL5483]
§ Lord Davies of OldhamNetwork Rail advises that over the past 12 months (from 11 November 2002) there have been 17 bridge strikes at Station Road bridge in Langley; and that the total minutes delay to trains over the last year amounts to 6,749 minutes.
232WAI understand that the local police record only personal injury accidents. They have no record of any such accidents at this site or of any prosecutions of lorry drivers that they are able to link to this site.
As the Written Answer by my noble friend Lord Macdonald of Tradeston of 16 January 2003 (WA 51–52) made clear, Network Rail and highway authorities work in association to try and reduce the incidence of road vehicles striking railway bridge structures. At this site Slough Borough Council as local highway authority working with Network Rail has been carrying out a programme of sign refurbishment. High visibility boards have been re-erected on the bridge. New signs showing mandatory height limits in imperial and metric units have been erected on the south approach. Gantry-mounted prohibitory signs in advance of the bridge have very recently been refurbished.