Chamber
Plenary, 05 Nov 2009
05 Nov 2009 · S3 · Plenary
Item of business
Level Crossings (Fatal Accident Inquiries)
I, too, congratulate Willie Coffey on getting the debate. Jamie Stone has already talked about the Halkirk accident in Highland, which was tragic, as he said.
I have been interested in this subject for some time. A crossing quite close to Inverness, at Bunchrew, has given us problems over the past few years. It took an awful lot of time to convince Network Rail that there was a problem with that crossing. More than once we had to get the Office of the Rail Regulator involved, along with various other bodies. Eventually, it was conceded that a battery was faulty and that the lights were, in fact, faulty. In such situations, Network Rail normally denies that there is any problem with its equipment. However, it was clear that that was not the case in this case.
There are 7,674 level crossings in the UK. If it helps Charlie Gordon, I can say that I am certainly not calling for all of them to be dealt with in a physical sense. I just want the 23 crossings in Scotland that are automatic open crossings to be dealt with. Of course, 21 of those are in Highland, while the other two are in Ardrossan. Like Jamie Stone, I have been pressing the case for gating those crossings.
Those crossings constitute only 2 per cent of the total number of crossings, but 31 per cent of collisions take place on them. Northern Ireland got rid of all its automatic open crossings in the 1980s for safety reasons. In Highland, we have two such crossings on the Fort William to Mallaig line, seven on the Dingwall to Kyle line and 12 on the Inverness to Wick and Thurso line. Although there are not many trains a day, because there are so many crossings on those lines, we end up with a train crossing an open crossing in Highland every 10 minutes or so. That is a significant fact, which perhaps gives members an indication of why we end up with so many accidents: it is because open crossings are crossed so many times in a day.
I would like to see a five-year programme of gating open crossings. Like Jamie Stone, I do not think that it is unreasonable to ask for that to be funded. If it costs £1 million a crossing and £23 million over five years, we are talking about a cost that is less than £5 million a year. Such a programme would solve the problem. The fewer accidents that we have at such crossings, the fewer fatal accident inquiries will be needed.
I have been interested in this subject for some time. A crossing quite close to Inverness, at Bunchrew, has given us problems over the past few years. It took an awful lot of time to convince Network Rail that there was a problem with that crossing. More than once we had to get the Office of the Rail Regulator involved, along with various other bodies. Eventually, it was conceded that a battery was faulty and that the lights were, in fact, faulty. In such situations, Network Rail normally denies that there is any problem with its equipment. However, it was clear that that was not the case in this case.
There are 7,674 level crossings in the UK. If it helps Charlie Gordon, I can say that I am certainly not calling for all of them to be dealt with in a physical sense. I just want the 23 crossings in Scotland that are automatic open crossings to be dealt with. Of course, 21 of those are in Highland, while the other two are in Ardrossan. Like Jamie Stone, I have been pressing the case for gating those crossings.
Those crossings constitute only 2 per cent of the total number of crossings, but 31 per cent of collisions take place on them. Northern Ireland got rid of all its automatic open crossings in the 1980s for safety reasons. In Highland, we have two such crossings on the Fort William to Mallaig line, seven on the Dingwall to Kyle line and 12 on the Inverness to Wick and Thurso line. Although there are not many trains a day, because there are so many crossings on those lines, we end up with a train crossing an open crossing in Highland every 10 minutes or so. That is a significant fact, which perhaps gives members an indication of why we end up with so many accidents: it is because open crossings are crossed so many times in a day.
I would like to see a five-year programme of gating open crossings. Like Jamie Stone, I do not think that it is unreasonable to ask for that to be funded. If it costs £1 million a crossing and £23 million over five years, we are talking about a cost that is less than £5 million a year. Such a programme would solve the problem. The fewer accidents that we have at such crossings, the fewer fatal accident inquiries will be needed.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Trish Godman):
Lab
The final item of business today is a members' business debate on motion S3M-4986, in the name of Willie Coffey, on conduct of inquiries into fatalities at l...
Motion debated,
That the Parliament regrets the continuing loss of life at railway level crossings, most recently at Halkirk in Caithness and, in January 2009, at Gatehead i...
Willie Coffey (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP):
SNP
I thank the Parliamentary Bureau and my colleagues for giving me the opportunity to bring this matter before the Parliament.As background to today's debate, ...
Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD):
LD
I congratulate Willie Coffey on securing the debate. I will talk in particular about the facts surrounding the tragic crash at Halkirk. I pay tribute to the ...
Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP):
SNP
I have taken an interest in this subject since I was a district councillor in Dingwall, where there are three open level crossings, where there have been acc...
Charlie Gordon (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab):
Lab
I congratulate Willie Coffey on securing the debate and extend my condolences to his constituent's family. There is a certain amount of truth in the notion t...
Jamie Stone:
LD
Does Charlie Gordon accept that Network Rail is making £1.2 billion profit and can afford to make improvements itself?
Charlie Gordon:
Lab
Yes, on the face of it, but I suspect that there is a bit more to it than that. Part of the further dialogue that we must have with Network Rail relates, amo...
Dave Thompson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP):
SNP
I, too, congratulate Willie Coffey on getting the debate. Jamie Stone has already talked about the Halkirk accident in Highland, which was tragic, as he said...
Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con):
Con
I apologise for my absence at the start of the debate. I congratulate Willie Coffey on securing a members' business debate, and I am pleased to have this opp...
The Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change (Stewart Stevenson):
SNP
Like others, I thank Willie Coffey for lodging the motion that has given us the opportunity to debate the issue. I should also highlight the substantial qual...
Meeting closed at 17:46.