Railway told to replace 'flagmen' at road crossings

9 hours ago

Alex PopeBedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire

Volunteers proudly holding the flags in 2024

Mark Lewis Two volunteers, standing in a road, wearing orange high-vis jackets and holding two stop signs. A man in a cabin of a blue steam train is by them. The train is crossing a road, with trees behind them. — Volunteers proudly holding the flags in 2024

A heritage railway is getting rid of its volunteers who hold "stop" flags where trains cross public roads and replacing them with flashing lights.

The Leighton Buzzard Railway, in Bedfordshire, opened in 1919 to serve quarries, and has used "flagmen" along its three-mile route.

It said it was served with improvement notices from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) meaning it must now install "Wig-Wag" colour light signals at three road junctions.

Ian Hale, the railway's operations manager, said although some volunteers see it as a "loss of tradition, health and safety has to be the prime mover".

The heritage railway crosses six roads, but volunteers only need to manage traffic in three places

Leighton Buzzard Railway A man standing in a road, wearing an orange high-vis jacket, holding a red stop sign, by a train, with part of the front of a car to the left. A house is behind them. A sign is to the left and a fence behind the man. — The heritage railway crosses six roads, but volunteers only need to manage traffic in three places

The railway, managed and operated by volunteer members of the Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway Society, is a non-profit organisation with charitable status.

Originally built to primarily transport sand, and it gradually become a passenger and heritage line service. It is based at Page's Park and the line runs to the Stonehenge Works and Munday's Hill.

Hale told Andy Collins on BBC Three Counties Radio that when the line opened after World War One it was "considerably more rural than it is today".

"There were only three roads the line had to cross - from Heath and Reach down to Page's Park - and they were given permission for the guys on the train to hop out, stop the cars, or carts, with flags and let the train go through," he said.

He said that right had continued and, although the train now had to cross six roads, it only needed flag wavers at three locations.

He said no-one had ever been hit, but some motorists did get "disgruntled" and try to slip past.

Chris Grimes A person standing a road, holding a red flag, with a train going past, and cars and houses in the distance. — What it used to look like in 1977

The ORR said: "Given the increase in road vehicle use over recent years following various local developments, our inspector was of the opinion that additional measures were required to ensure the railway meets its obligations under health and safety legislation to minimise the risk of harm so far as is reasonably practicable."