QUESTIONS have been raised over the safety of a rail crossing after a car was hit by a train for the second time this year.

A woman, believed to be the driver, was cut from the wreckage after her black Volkswagen Golf was struck at Yarnton’s Sandy Lane crossing by the Bournemouth to Manchester train at about 4.40pm yesterday.

The incident came after an 85-year-old man died when the car he was in was hit at the crossing by a Freightliner train earlier this year. Campaigners have also raised concerns about the crossing which has a history of failures.

British Transport Police (BTP) were last night investigating the smash which caused delays on both the railway and the road as train services between Oxford and Banbury were cancelled and police shut off the road.

Paramedics, firefighters, and police were all called to the scene and the woman was freed from the car and taken to Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital.

South Central Ambulance Service spokesman Gill Hodgetts said the woman had suffered “non-life threatening injuries.”

Following the death of Banbury man Thomas Pizzey in January, the Oxford Mail revealed the crossing had malfunctioned 21 times last year.

However, Rail Accident Investigation Branch spokesman Paul Starbrook yesterday said: “There was no suggestion the level crossing was responsible for the accident in January.”

The crossing is only blocked by half barriers, and campaigners have called for full barriers to be installed.

Hugh Jaeger, spokesman for the Thames Valley branch of rail campaign group Railfuture, said Network Rail should have looked at installing full barriers at the crossing.

He said: “It shouldn’t have happened again at the same crossing.”

Villagers have also complained the barriers get stuck, leading some drivers to drive round them despite the risk.

Yarnton resident and Kidlington North councillor Alaric Rose said: “Two major incidents in a year is two too many.”

But he said after talks with Network Rail and campaigners it was hard to see what could be done to make the crossing safer, adding: “We will have to see what Network Rail say or do after this event.”

In July, the Government announced the crossing would be assessed as part of a national safety review.

Andrew Barry, 31, of Calves Close in Kidlington, said it had been closed at least five times since the January accident.

He said: “There must be some sort of issue for them to keep closing it.”

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) is now investigating last night’s accident to see if the crossing was working properly.

The Office of Rail Regulation had also been informed.

BTP spokesman Simon Letouze said officers had spoken to the train driver to get his story. He also said it was thought none of the train’s 100 passengers were injured.

He added: “The train involved, Piccadilly Cross Country service, remained upright and on the tracks.”

CrossCountry spokesman Richard Gibson said: “I am not aware of any of the passengers being injured.

“The train driver is receiving care and whatever support he needs because this will have been a traumatic experience for him.”

Newport Close resident Graham Elston heard the smash.

He said: “I heard the train blowing its horn and it went on for an awful long time and I heard a crash at the end of it.”

BTP has appealed for witnesses to call 0800 405040.

 

TROUBLE ON THE TRACKS

  • January 2012 – Network Rail spends £50,000 replacing defective equipment at the Sandy Lane level crossing
  • January 3, 2013 – Thomas Pizzey is killed when the car he was in was struck by a Freightliner train at the level crossing
  • January 17, 2013 – Network Rail says the level crossing is safe and there were only three recorded incidents of drivers trying to beat it
  • January 23, 2013 – After repeated information requests, the Oxford Mail reveals the level crossing failed 21 times in the preceding year – though it was working at the time of Mr Pizzey’s death
  • March 19, 2013 – Network Rail pledges to improve safety at the level crossing by looking into replacing the cabling with digital treadles, which trigger the safety barriers to deploy when a train approaches – though it breaks down again that same day
  • April 15, 2013 – An Oxford Mail investigation shows drivers were stopping at the level crossing even though the barriers weren’t down, with some claiming they had lost faith in the level crossing’s safety
  • May 11, 2013 – Network Rail closes the level crossing for 24 hours to carry out tests
  • May 29, 2013 – The level crossing fails again for two hours
  • July 17, 2013 – It is announced that the level crossing will be assessed as part of a Government safety review into 8,000 crossings
  • October 19, 2013 – The level crossing is closed overnight for annual maintenance.