Notorious level crossing where drivers stuck for 20 minutes shuts …
Pooley Green and Egham Station level crossing is to be closed throughout the festive season for rail maintenance work, Network Rail has announced.
The rail operator will carry out track renewal work at the crossing intermittently from 28 November to 23 February 2024, which is likely to cause disruption to journeys. It is unclear if there are any diversion routes in place.
The announcement comes after it was revealed Egham[1] residents are facing delays of up to 20 minutes and disruptions due to prolonged level crossing times resulting from recent signalling upgrades, according to a councillor.
Dr Ben Spencer, MP for Runnymede and Weybridge[2] said he delays were making people late for work and GP appointments. He added: “I’m very concerned about the further impact on residents following the announcement of additional railway engineering works on the Egham-Weybridge branch line.
“Delays are preventing children getting to school, employees getting to work, and I’m particularly concerned about the impact on emergency services and the risk such long delays could cause.”
He added: “I have reached out to Network Rail on further ways to ensure the fastest response times in an emergency, and I will continue to work with everyone involved to press for improvements that will deliver for Egham residents and both road and rail users. We need resolutions, not more delays.”
Local residents have also been vocal about the disruption on social media. One user said: “The wait times have been ridiculous. Traffic queues all the way back to Staines[3] bridge one direction and back past the hythe centre the other direction. Pooley green has been even worse.”
Another said: “Leaving home is now strategically timed for me. I can either be 25 mins early or 15 mins late for work. The long down times are contributing to the speeding and tail gating on Vicarage Road, as well as the horrendous queues.”
A petition ( here[4] ) launched by Alex Balkan, a member of Runnymede Borough Council, to fight for shorter waiting times and improved safety for all Egham residents has already reached 2,083 signatures.
Balkan said: "Network Rail are clearly doing these track replacement works in bedtime hours for most people to minimise the impact on commuters they already know to be enduring 15-20 minute level crossing waiting times. I will continue to work with Ben Spencer and the teams from both NR and SWR to address these issues.
"The fight for me and the community won’t stop until this is no longer dampening the lives of commuters, damaging our environment, and causing safety risks."
Network Rail has been contacted for comment.
Dates of disruption:
- Pooley Green and Egham Station level crossing will be closed for work from 23:30hrs Tuesday 28 November 2023 to 06:00hrs Friday 23 February 2024 between the following time periods only:
- 23:30hrs Tuesday 28 November 2023 to 06:00hrs Friday 1 December 2023 - Preparation work - 3nights 23:30hrs-06:00
- 23:30hrs Tuesday 2 January 2024 to 06:00hrs Friday 5 January 2024 - Preparation work - 3nights 23:30hrs-06:00hrs
- 01:00hrs Saturday 6 January 2024 to 05:00hrs Monday 8 January 2024 - Main work - continuous day and night.
- Pooley Green level crossing to be closed for work throughout this period:
- 01:00hrs Saturday 13 January 2024 to 04:00hrs Monday 15 January 2024 - Follow up work - continuous day and night.
- 23:30hrs Monday 19 Feburary 2024 to 06:00hrs Friday 23 Februrary 2024 - Follow up work - 4 nights 23:30hrs-06:00hrs