The rail crossing is rated by KiwiRail as one of the most dangerous of 1300 in New Zealand. Photo / Ross Setford
The rail crossing is rated by KiwiRail as one of the most dangerous of 1300 in New Zealand. Photo / Ross Setford
The closure of State Highway 1B east of Hamilton at the railway crossing at the southern end of Telephone Rd is being extended while the long-term future of the intersection with Holland Road is decided.
The intersection was closed to traffic in early April, after a truck travelling over the rail lines dislodged a section of track. It was the third time in three years the tracks have been damaged at the crossing by low vehicles.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is worried a repeat of such damage could cause one of the about 38 trains travelling the line daily to derail.
A number of solutions are being considered, including the option of permanent closure of the level crossing to road traffic.
The rail crossing is rated by KiwiRail as one of the most dangerous of 1300 in New Zealand, using the Australian Level Crossing Assessment Model (ALCAM).
Although the volume of traffic using SH1B, particularly trucks, is expected to fall once the Hamilton section of the Waikato Expressway opens by the middle of this year, that will present new problems as SH1B (Telephone Rd) will then lose its state highway status and become a local road and be returned to the local road controlling authority – in this case Waikato District Council – in a process known as revocation.
The section of railway line that was dislodged in April at the level crossing. Photo / Supplied
As part of this process, Waka Kotahi and the district council need to be in agreement about the current condition of the road. Waka Kotahi and the council are in discussions about the intersection and its future once it becomes a local road and any future decisions will take this into account.
The decision to close the crossing was made by Waka Kotahi in conjunction with KiwiRail and Waikato District Council for the safety of all road users as well as trains, Waka Kotahi Waikato systems manager Cara Lauder said.
"We realise that this is inconvenient for local residents and through traffic that uses SH1B and we'd like to thank the community for their patience," Lauder said.
"Safety is our first priority and until we can be satisfied that both the road and rail are safe for road users and trains, Telephone Road will remain closed."
The current staffed closure will be replaced soon with barriers at the intersection of Telephone Rd and Amber Lane and at the intersection of Telephone Rd and Holland Rd on the southern side of the rail crossing.
Traffic on SH1B will continue to be detoured around Seddon Rd, Waverley Rd, and Holland Rd while the closure is in place.
Lauder said it was hoped the intersection could safely reopen while its long-term future is decided; however, this was not possible because of the considerable safety risk.
Discussions will continue on the future of the rail crossing between Waka Kotahi, KiwiRail and Waikato District Council.
Waka Kotahi says the problem is the railway line is higher than the road on either side of it and this has caused some longer and lower trucks to scrape and dislodge sections of track.
To keep the intersection open the agency considered in-person monitoring.
"However, this is complex to arrange in a way that is safe for trains and cars, and for staff that have to remain on site. Also, it has proved hard to provide a guarantee against a potential future derailment, as track damage may occur that would not be picked up unless a close-up inspection took place by qualified staff," Waka Kotahi says.
It says carrying out any inspection on the track is difficult to do safely as staff would need to be skilled in rail and road safety, and few people are available who work across both industries.
"Potential engineering solutions are based around raising the level of Holland and Marshmeadow Roads so that they are at the same level as the railway crossing. This would be an expensive and highly disruptive project, complicated further by how close the intersection of Telephone Road and Holland Road is to the railway line.
"A permanent solution would take some time to design and build, and it would be hard to keep traffic moving through the site during construction. Delays caused by any construction would be similar to the current detour delay, but traffic on all approaches would be delayed, not just Telephone Road traffic."
Another suggestion has been to let residents and/or light vehicles use the crossing. Waka Kotahi says allowing partial access is risky as this is difficult to enforce. Both Waka Kotahi and KiwiRail believe this solution will not provide the necessary levels of safety to allow the rail crossing to reopen.
Waka Kotahi and the Waikato District Council are expected to further discuss the intersection and its future before the Hamilton section of Waikato Expressway is open in what will be a matter of weeks.
