A LEVEL crossing will be closed for 26 days from this Saturday to keep walkers safe while more trains pass through the area.
The footpath level crossing, which sits between Cromwell Bottom Nature Reserve and Booth Royd Lane, in Elland, Calderdale, usually provides people with a safe walking route across the Calder Valley railway line near Brighouse station.
But with major engineering work happening over 26 days near Stalybridge station in Greater Manchester, more trains than usual will travel through the level crossing, using the Calder Valley line as a diversion between Manchester, Huddersfield and Leeds.
To eliminate the risk of more, unpredictable trains, Network Rail is applying an emergency temporary closure until the work is complete and trains return to normal levels on Wednesday, April 5.
Working with the British Transport Police, safety experts have visited schools in the area to raise awareness of the increased risk, and trained volunteers have been posted on the approach to the crossing to engage with the community.
Vicki Beadle, operations risk advisor for Network Rail, said: “You can never predict when the next train is coming through a level crossing, and this is even more crucial when trains are temporarily using a different route.
“We need to keep the community safe, so for this short period the level crossing will be closed.”
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