Solutions that resolve all the safety concerns are estimated to cost between $8 million and $11m.
Solutions that resolve all the safety concerns are estimated to cost between $8 million and $11m.
The rail crossing on State Highway 1B (SH1B) east of Hamilton in the Waikato, also known as Telephone Road, will remain closed to traffic for the foreseeable future, according to Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency.
The crossing at the intersection with Holland Rd is rated one of the most dangerous in the country. It was closed 12 months ago due to repeated incidents where low vehicles damaged the railway tracks. Damaged tracks could cause a derailment on this increasingly busy train line between Hamilton and Tauranga, says Waka Kotahi.
A detailed investigation was commissioned by Waka Kotahi to determine the best long-term solution for safety at the rail crossing, taking into account the opening of the Hamilton section of the Waikato Expressway and the intention to return SH1B to local road status.
The report took a thorough look at all the available solutions, including the low-cost solutions put forward by the community. The report found that the proposed low-cost solutions failed to meet all of the safety requirements, with the solutions that resolved all the safety concerns estimated to cost between $8 million and $11 million.
“Unfortunately, there is no funding available for a safe solution during the current funding cycle [the 2021-24 National Land Transport Programme],” says Waka Kotahi regional manager of maintenance and operations, Rob Campbell.
The crossing was closed 12 months ago due to repeated incidents where low vehicles damaged the railway tracks.
“However, we will put the Telephone Road rail crossing forward for consideration in the 2024-27 funding cycle.
“This does not guarantee that the project will receive funding, as all projects across the country are weighted and scrutinised to determine priorities.”
A small group of community representatives will meet with Waka Kotahi, KiwiRail and Waikato District Council to discuss the best option to put forward for funding.
“Until we can go through the funding application process, the only safe option that meets the safety requirements of Waka Kotahi and KiwiRail is for the crossing to remain closed,” Campbell says.
“We realise that this decision will be disappointing for the local community, and we apologise for the inconvenience that this causes.”
This rail crossing has been assessed by KiwiRail as being one of the most dangerous of 1300 public rail crossings in New Zealand, using the Australian Level Crossing Assessment Model (Alcam).
While the crossing will remain closed for vehicles, Waka Kotahi plans to build a pedestrian/cyclist crossing over the railway line, with a school bus stop on the Holland Road side, subject to final approval from KiwiRail.
Waka Kotahi said last year that 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 Rd and Holland Rd 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 Rd traffic.”
