28.08.14
New £400,000 footbridge opened in Hampshire
A new £400,000 footbridge has been opened over the railway near Petersfield in Hampshire, replacing a foot crossing across the 90mph railway that was closed in March this year.
The work was carried out as part of the Network Rail/South West Trains Alliance level crossing programme, with the footbridge being built by contractors Dyer and Butler.
Part of the popular Shipwright’s Way footpath, the increasing use of the crossing on a 90mph railway meant that the Alliance had to take action.
Sharon Vye-Parminter, safety director for the Network Rail and South West Trains Alliance, said: “We are committed to improving safety on what is already a very safe railway and we are always looking at ways to make level crossings safer.
“Closing level crossings is one way that we can reduce to the risk to the railway, but we also need the help of the public.
“Successfully closing a crossing isn't always a straightforward process, so we will need the support from local authorities, landowners and the public to help us achieve our new target and improve safety further still.”
It is the second crossing to be closed out of a target of 35 on the Alliance route in the next five years and part of a nationwide programme of level crossing closures. Between 2010 and 2014, 750 crossings were closed across the country, and Network Rail is working towards closing a further 500 by 2019.
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