Fire chiefs providing extra engine as town braces itself for additional …
Fire chiefs will be drafting in an additional engine into Spalding to ensure it can respond to calls when the town’s railway is clogged up with an additional 100 trains.
Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue will be sending over extra support for its Spalding crews to ensure a ‘robust’ response to the calls over today and tomorrow when passenger trains are diverted from the East Coast Main Line – and creating gridlock on the town’s already congested roads.
Network Rail will be sending 50 trains per day – along with the usual freight and passenger services – along the Spalding tracks while engineering work is taking place between Grantham and Doncaster. Usually this work would take place over a weekend but the firm is trialling it over week days.
The railway line splits Spalding in two so when the level crossing barriers come down it creates long traffic queues – so the only way to access the western side of the town is to go around to West Pinchbeck.
Dave Stanley from Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue’s control room, said: “When any kind of traffic disruption or restrictions like this are put in place, our control room take action to ensure that our response to emergencies can still be effective.
“The work on the East Coast Main Line will mean the level crossing barriers will be down for longer and along with roadworks in Spalding, traffic may build up more around the town.
“In this case although we will continue to mobilise our Spalding crews to incidents within the town as usual, we will also send an additional appliance to ensure we have a robust response during those two days.”
The additional trains being pushed through
Spalding town centre come on the back of last week’s traffic mayhem, which saw heavy congestion in most of the town’s roads when Wardentree Lane in Pinchbeck was closed.
There are also reports that town had come to a standstill at around 11pm on Saturday night when the Park Road and Woolram Wygate level crossings were down. Some people were also reported climbing over the barriers to cross.
Network Rail has confirmed that the crossings were down due to a ‘signalling problem’ and that this was an ‘isolated incident’.
A Network Rail spokesperson said: “The level crossing barriers in the Spalding area will be down more often on Tuesday and Wednesday due to an increase in trains which will be diverted through the town, as we deliver essential maintenance work on the East Coast Main Line.
“We’re sorry for the inconvenience this may cause. Safety is our top priority, and we’d like to remind people of the importance of following all of the warning signs and guidance at a level crossing.”
Chairman of Spalding and Peterborough Transport Forum George Scott fears that people are going to avoid Spalding due to the traffic.
He said: “I think it will put people off.”
Former Spalding councillor Roger Gambba-Jones had spoken out about the problems created by the railway in the past - and now feels that Pinchbeck will see an increase in traffic during today and Wednesday.
He said: “It is going to close off four level crossings so the only place people can go is Pinchbeck. Knight Street and the route through to Pode Hole is going to suffer new misery.”