Woodbridge Level Crossing Upgrades Complete

16 April, 2021
The new full barriers at the Haywards (Tide Mill Way) level crossing in Woodbridge
The new full barriers at the Haywards (Tide Mill Way) level crossing in Woodbridge

Work on a scheme to make safety upgrades at three level crossings at Woodbridge is now complete.

Last September Network Rail began the upgrades at these crossings:

  • Haywards (on Tide Mill Way)
  • Ferry Lane
  • Jetty Avenue (on Jetty Lane)

Full barriers have now been installed at the Haywards (Tide Mill Way) and Ferry Lane level crossings just north of Woodbridge station. The new barriers now cover both sides of the road and prevent vehicles from weaving through. These crossings have also been fitted with obstacle detection equipment which automatically detects anything that may be obstructing the crossings, such as a pedestrian or car.

The Haywards (Tide Mill Way) level crossing in the background and Ferry Lane level crossing in Woodbridge March 2021

At the crossing on Jetty Avenue just south of the station, miniature stop lights and an audible warning system have been installed. The audible warning will activate and a red light will turn on when a train is approaching. If the red light is still on and the audible warning is still sounding after the train has passed it means another train is near. At this crossing pedestrians and motorists should only proceed when the green light is showing and no warning is sounding. Drivers of large or slow vehicles, or those with animals should use the phone at the crossing to gain permission to cross.

Newer signalling equipment, which helps signallers understand where trains are in relation to the level crossings, in conjunction with the upgrades means alarms at both the Haywards and Ferry Lane road can be safely reduced from around 70 seconds to approximately 20 seconds for each train that passes.

Network Rail made the safety improvements as there has been significant amount of residential development in recent years. The new equipment is better able to cope with the higher demand as well as enabling Greater Anglia train services to run safely and reliably.

Ellie Burrows, Network Rail’s route director for Anglia, said: “We’ve seen an increase in the number of pedestrians and traffic using these crossings and this work is vital to improve safety for everyone using them. We’ve also carried out work that will keep rail services running safely and smoothly on this line busy line.”