CASE STUDY: Wythall Station

Wythall station is a small village station in Worcestershire. It has been operational since 1908 with two platforms which sit adjacent to each other servicing Birmingham and Stratford-upon-Avon. The station, and all trains serving it, are currently operated by West Midlands Trains.

Since the creation of the car, traffic has steadily increased. In the past 40 years the use of road vehicles and the speed in which they can travel has led to an increase in the risk of road vehicles gaining both accidental & criminal assess to the rail network. Such an incursion happened on this section of the track in 2015.

The station is situated in a cutting below a tee junction and a tight bend with no crash rated solution protecting the railway tracks below. This posed a significant threat of a road vehicle hitting the existing wooden picket fence at 90 degrees and falling down the embankment on to the track, obstructing any trains.

On a dark October evening, a vehicle crashed through the wooden picket fence from the tee junction and went down a steep bank, narrowly avoiding being hit by a passenger train.

To mitigate the risk of a road vehicle incursion recurring in the future, Network Rail specified StronGuard™RCS75 to replace the wooden picket fence as it has been impact tested at 90° to PAS68 accreditation designed to stop a 7.5-ton vehicle travelling at 30mph. StronGuard˜RCS75 was installed in the confined space between the footpath and where the embankment fell away down to the station, giving not only the RVI protection but also increasing the security of the perimeter from tresspass.

The palisade perimeter security solution was supplied galvanized and powder coating in black at Barkers in-house finishing facility to match the surrounding environment.

Find out more about how StronGuard™RCS is being used to mitigate road vehicle incursions on the railway here or contact Russell Ridgway on russellr@barkersfencing.com or via the form below.