Level crossing scrapped over safety concerns

Nicholas Thomas, local democracy reporter

A level crossing has been described as a “risk to public safety” and will be removed.

Caerphilly County Borough Council said the electrification of the railway line, the introduction of more modern trains, and more frequent services all justify the closure of a footpath route connecting Van Road to Cefn Carnau Lane.

Members of the council’s rights of way cabinet committee decided on Thursday the “risk to the public was significant enough to warrant closure of the crossing”.

The situation “could not be improved to lower the risk to an acceptable level”, the committee added.

Road bridge

It means the footpath either side of the crossing will also be closed, and pedestrians diverted via another route – likely a nearby road bridge which spans the railway line.

The council’s highways department could decide to lower the speed limit on that road, to make it safer for walkers.

Caerphilly Council said the introduction of new electric trains meant the vehicles would produce “significantly less” noise than their diesel predecessors, and suggested “hearing oncoming trains at a distance will be more difficult following the change”.

The line speed at the crossing is 60mph for trains travelling towards Caerphilly, and 65mph towards Cardiff, a committee report notes.

Recent timetable changes also mean more trains are travelling on the line, with 124 daily vehicles set to rise to 216 by the time work is completed.

While official records show there have been no incidents at the crossing in the past ten years, CCTV has captured several incidents which sparked “concern”.

This includes “instances of young people lingering on the tracks rather than crossing quickly and directly”, and an adult wearing headphones who was recorded “walking a dog across the level crossing and then turning back retracing their steps for no apparent reason”.

“Listening to music is a distraction, but also limits the person’s ability to hear oncoming trains,” the council said in its report.

Any changes to the nearby road layout, to improve pedestrian safety, could be part-funded by Transport for Wales, after the council committee decided to seek “the agreement for contributions to cover any costs”.