Network Rail rapped over Halkirk crossing barrier delay
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NETWORK Rail has been heavily criticised for not given enough priority to installing safety barriers at the Caithness village level crossing where three people lost their lives.
Former Caithness Highland Councillor David Flear claims Halkirk should have been the first on the list of the 20 crossings which are to have new safety barriers erected in the Highlands.
The £4 million project was brought forward after the tragic death of pensioners Angus Mackay (81) his wife Margaret (81) and Angus’s brother Donnie Mackay (66), from Latheron, who were killed when their car was struck by a train at the rail crossing at Halkirk in September 2009.
The accident happened when the car collided with a Sprinter train at the unmanned crossing on Bridge Street which had warning lights but no barriers.
Donald Mackay, a son of the couple, is currently pursuing a personal injury action against Network Rail.
The first stubby type barriers were installed this week at Corpach, near Caol in Lochaber, with three barriers also set to be installed iat crossings near Golspie and Brora.
Mr Flear said that given the tragic accident involving the Mackays, Network Rail should have made installing barriers at Halkirk its first priority.
"You would have thought as the Mackay deaths stimulated the whole issue that Halkirk would have been the first location to have these barriers to be installed," said Mr Flear, who lives in Halkirk.
"I am surprised that it is not the first on the list as the tragedy happened up here and it did accelerate the campaign to have barriers erected at these crossings.
"Given the history, I thought that it would be logical that this would be the location where there would be the greatest need to get it done right away.
Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch MSP Dave Thompson has campaigned for barriers to be introduced throughout the Highlands since 2007.
He yesterday said his understanding is that Halkirk was not the first location as the barriers being installed at Caol and the Sutherland crossings are not suitable for Caithness.
Network Rail, he said, had confirmed to him that suitable barriers will be installed at the Caithness crossing by next year.
"Halkirk will be getting the full-size traditional barriers as the stubby barrier would not be suitable for the crossing," he said.
"The full-size barriers, I understand, take a lot longer to prepare. They will enable the train to go through at high speed whereas the stubby barriers force the train to slow down as it passes.
"Despite not being the first place to have them installed, Halkirk in the long term will receive a better standard of barriers, but the stubby barriers are a huge improvement on what exists in the Highland at the moment.
"The planning process has already started for the barriers to be installed in Halkirk and should be in place by 2014."
A successful trial of the specially designed barriers at Ardrossan between April and July led to a decision to commission them in the Highlands over the next two years, it is believed Halkirk is the only Caithness crossing included in the list of 20 sites.
Network Rail were asked to comment but at the time of going to press had not responded.
