Subscribe to trusted local news
In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.
- Subscription costs less than £1 a week with an annual plan.
Already a subscriber? Log in here.
27
Sept
Call to upgrade 'totally out of date' Starbeck crossing technology
Councillors have called on the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire to intervene in the long-running saga over delays at Starbeck crossing amid concern over “out of date” technology.
The crossing is often the bane of motorists' lives due to the frequency of trains travelling through Starbeck station.
As many as nine trains pass through the station every hour, leaving vehicles stuck in traffic for several minutes while the barriers are down.
Cllr Chris Aldred, who represents High Harrogate and Kingsley on North Yorkshire Council, told a meeting of Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee on Thursday that councillors had tried various initiatives to solve the problem.
Cllr Aldred, along with other councillors, called on David Skaith, Labour Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, to join efforts solve the issue.
He said:
We keep being told by the railway companies that they are using the latest technology. That’s debatable.
Meanwhile, Cllr Paul Haslam, who represents Bilton and Nidd Gorge, said the technology used at the signalling box to lift the crossing at Starbeck was “totally out of date” and led to delays of up to seven minutes.
(Left) Cllr Paul Haslam and Cllr Chris Aldred.
Cllr Haslam said the crossing is operated by a lever, which someone has to pull when a train approaches Starbeck station.
However, he added that Network Rail were “not keen” on investing in new equipment at the facility.
Cllr Haslam called on the mayor to join the council and other authorities to “put pressure” on the rail organisation to take action.
He said:
I’ve been trying to get the police authority, yourselves [combined authority] and my own council together on this because if we put enough pressure on then I am sure Network Rail would correct this and it would reduce it [the wait] to two minutes.
Mr Skaith said he would take the matter to his transport department to discuss in more detail.
He added:
It sounds like it is as much a highways thing as it is a rail thing, so we can explore what the options are on that.
We have had some uplift in funding for highways and transport, so it is about understanding what the options are around it. But, certainly, we can take it away offline and sit down with my rail lead to understand it. I must admit I did know it was an issue, but not quite to that extent.
An issue for decades
The problem over how to solve congestion at Starbeck crossing has been going on for decades.
Cllr Philip Broadbank, who represents Fairfax and Starbeck on North Yorkshire Council, said previously that the crossing has been an issue in the area since 1929 with various solutions failing to solve it.
In 2019, the former North Yorkshire County Council reviewed the crossing and assessed how long the barriers were down for and queuing traffic.
They produced a report with suggested improvements but it was rejected as the council concluded it was “unlikely to provide measurable benefits”.
The delays at the crossing also hit emergency services, such as the police and fire service, who are trying to attend incidents.
In 2022, firefighters called on Zoe Metcalfe, the former Conservative police, fire and crime commissioner for North Yorkshire, to tackle the issue of Starbeck crossing holding up fire engines attending emergencies.
2