Stromeferry bypass delays slashed by new train signals
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A NEW signalling system designed to ease traffic congestion during major roadworks on the Stromeferry bypass has now gone live.
As reported last week, rail network, Highland Council and road transport chiefs had been hoping to install temporary rail signals closer to the site on the A890 – in a bid to reduce the time that a temporary bypass onto the rail tracks remains closed.
Before the new signals went in, the signalling section ran all the way from Kyle of Lochalsh to Strathcarron station, meaning that the road had to stay closed when a train was located anywhere between those two stops – despite being miles from the scene.
To slash that waiting time, Network Rail has installed temporary stop boards and an automatic warning system for trains approaching Stromeferry which will allow services to be brought to a halt before reaching the road diversion.
The new signals, which Network Rail chiefs said would essentially act like a level crossing, went live on Saturday. They are expected to slash the window when the road will be closed to as little as 20 minutes at a time.
It said it hoped the compromise will prove effective at balancing the needs of rail users with those of the wider community, adding that it cannot suspend train services on any railway.
Simon Constable, head of route safety for Network Rail Scotland, said: "We have been working closely with Highland Council and our industry partners to find a solution which maintains safety on the railway while improving waiting times for motorists.
"We are pleased to have been able to put these new arrangements in place which will allow train operators to keep using the line, while also increasing access across our infrastructure.
"We have essentially turned a section of the line into a temporary level crossing, installing new equipment and deploying additional staff, to help mitigate the impact of the road closure."
Garry Smith, principal engineer with the Highland Council, said: "The changes to the signalling system established by Network Rail will greatly reduce the traffic queues through the road works.
"The changes will allow far more time for the convoys to operate and closure times should be reduced to around 20 minutes.
"The Highland Council appreciate the work by Network Rail to introduce this innovative solution."
Although the road closures have been reduced to around 20 minutes at a time, the council warned before the new system went live that there may be one longer closure per day when two trains cross over at Strathcarron station at 12.50pm.
The disruption is the result of major efforts to shore up the rockface above the Stromeferry bypass. It has been hit by numerous landslips in recent years, the worst of which have left the road impassable for up to months.
Every time a landslip has struck, local traffic has been forced into a whopping 140 miles detour via Dornie, Invermoriston, Inverness, and Achnasheen, to get around the blockage.
Despite the greatly reduced closure windows on the road-rail diversion, vehicles weighing more than seven-and-a-half tonnes are still barred from using it, forcing them to take the longer detour.
The road is also closed every night from 10pm to 7am.
Work is expected to be complete by late next month.
