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Highlands railway level crossing to close for safety inspection

The [1] on the A890 road in the Highlands of [2] will close overnight on Sunday, 24 September to allow [3] to undertake essential maintenance.

The [4] is at Balnacra, 13 miles south-east of [5] and 7 miles north-east of Lochcarron on [6]‘s line from [7] to [8].

The work will include a full inspection for corrosion, and in order to carry out the work in the safest and most efficient way, it will be necessary to close the A890 at the crossing from 22:00hrs on Sunday evening until 06:00hrs on Monday morning.

ScotRail Highland Explorer carriages
[9] train in the Highlands. // Credit: ScotRail

To ensure that level crossings are safe and operate as designed, every level crossing has a regular inspection programme. The work at Balnacra will include the removal of the units that form the crossing’s ‘road surface’ so that the entire length of both lines can be thoroughly inspected, and the rails checked the rails for signs of corrosion and build-up of silt, and to assess the need for any future maintenance.

During the crossing’s closure, it will be closed to all vehicles except for emergency vehicles.

Class 153 ScotRail
Class 153 ScotRail train in the Highlands. // Credit: ScotRail

Because the alternative route between [10] and Lochcarron is about 40 miles and will cause inconvenience, [11] is working closely with Highland Council to highlight the closure to road users and will endeavour to keep the closure to an absolute minimum.

The overnight work may also cause inconvenience to properties near to the crossing, and is thanking them in advance for their cooperation.

If anyone has any queries about the work, they can call Network Rail’s 24-hour helpline on 03457 11 41 41 or email via its website at www.networkrail.co.uk/contactus[12]

Lee Ross, infrastructure maintenance delivery manager at Network Rail, said: “The work planned at Balnacra level crossing is unavoidable and the safest and quickest way to do what is needed is to close the road.

“The crossing equipment and surrounding track is regularly monitored as part of Network Rail’s rolling maintenance and inspection programme to ensure that it is safe and operating as designed.

“While we appreciate the short-term impact of this work is inconvenient, the long-term benefit is that it helps minimise overall [13] for both passengers and road users and helps us deliver a reliable and resilient railway.”

References

  1. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  2. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  3. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  4. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  5. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  6. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  7. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  8. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  9. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  10. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  11. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  12. ^ www.networkrail.co.uk/contactus (www.networkrail.co.uk)
  13. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)

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