Judds Road proposed crossing closure causing concern for residents.
With significant rail expansion coming to the Wairarapa, attention has turned to how 30 level crossings will be adapted for the expected increase in services.
One crossing at Judds Rd in Masterton is problematic for KiwiRail and has been slated for closure.
Wairarapa line locomotive driver Nick Ellor said the level crossing had a dangerously short junction.
“If there’s a couple of cars stacked up, you may not actually get across. If you stop on the crossing when the lights are going you could be in for a doozy.”
With 10 deaths on level crossings and 40 serious near misses each year, Lyons said driving a locomotive could be nerve-racking.
“On a daily basis, there’d be at least one. You’d see one person go over a crossing without stopping or slowing down. You’re just preparing yourself to be in the fastest position possible to put the train into emergency mode if you need it.”
A steering committee, under chairman John Cockburn, is offering solutions to keep the junction open and safe.
“What we could do is have an advanced warning system that barriers actually come down a lot earlier than other crossings,” he said.
“If a vehicle is actually caught in the hatched area, like a long truck, it will be allowed to escape through a special escape lane.”
Steering Committee chairman John Cockburn at the Judds Road level crossing.
Judds Rd level crossing offers a connection to the town’s bypass and its proposed closure has caused concern among locals.
“If it’s closed, 900 vehicles are going to go somewhere else,” Cockburn said. “Instantly you’ve got more traffic on other roads and more emissions.
“The emergency services are also concerned about this. If an ambulance needs to get to someone who’s having a heart attack, every minute that goes by the chance of being able to use a defibrillator and save that person’s life drops by 10 per cent. We need to get people in here quickly.”
The train timetable is set to double after the $375 million upgrade is complete.
KiwiRail programme manager Andy Lyons wants safety measures introduced to meet the new services, but Masterton District Council and local groups will have to pay for them.
“That intersection could remain open, but it would have to be done as a roading project separate from the rail upgrade,” he said.
Additional funding would have to be in place by November.
The level crossing at Judds Road in Masterton.
MP Kieran McAnulty has championed the cause of keeping Wairarapa’s level crossings.
“The council will have to stump up, but how much they stump up is a matter for them. I’ve said that as local MP, I will go away and push for the remainder to be filled by the government somehow,” he said.
