The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Spalding could slow to a crawl for the next two weeks as work begins on two central level crossings.
The work on crossings in Park Road and Woolram Wygate will begin tomorrow and see traffic diverted around the town while a modern signalling system is installed.
It is part of a much larger £280million Great Northern Great Eastern project which aims to enable more services on the line through Spalding and relieve some of the pressure on the East Coast Main Line.
The Park Road crossing will be fully closed from 8pm tomorrow until 7am on August 4, to be followed by a “half closure” where the crossing will be controlled by traffic lights from 7am on August 4 until 6am on August 11.
Mill Green level crossing in Woolram Wygate will be fully closed from 9pm tomorrow to 7am on Saturday.
It will then be traffic light controlled from 7am on Saturday until 9pm on August 4, when it will be fully closed until 7am on August 5.
The crossing will then be traffic light controlled between 7am and 9pm and fully closed overnight from 9pm to 7am until August 7.
It will then be “half closed” from 7am on August 7 until 6am on August 11.
A number of other crossings, including those in Pinchbeck, Surfleet, Gosberton, Quadring and Donington will also fall in the “phase four blockade”, with various closures and half closures.
Road signs warning of the closures have sprung up around the town in the past couple of weeks, but one resident claims many of those who will be affected still do not know about the closures, as the signs were “unreadable”.
Ian McCallum, who lives on Wygate Park, says he appreciates the work must be carried out on the railway, but claims too much information has been crammed onto the roadside notices.
He said: “So much information has been crammed on to each notice that nobody could read a quarter of the notice in the time it takes to pass one.
“Secondly, they are situated at the busiest places on Woolram Wygate and Wygate Park. I know that it is more cost effective to have all the details on one notice board but I have not found one of my neighbours who can tell me what is going on because they cannot read the sign.”
Network Rail, which is carrying out the work, said leaflets detailing the closures had been sent out to residents in the affected areas.
A spokesman said: “The Great Northern Great Eastern line is an important route for both freight and passenger trains.
“Demand for rail services continues to grow and the upgrade of this line is an important project to help meet that demand.
“During just 16 days our engineers will install modern signals which will help to allow for future increases in services as well as improving reliability.
“At the same time, 15 level crossings will be upgraded with the latest technology – the largest number so far delivered in a single work package.
“This work is an essential element of our continuing investment in Britain’s railway.
“We apologise in advance for any inconvenience to passengers’ journeys during this time. and thank the local community for their support while we transform the GNGE line.”
No trains will run between Sleaford, Spalding and Peterborough in either direction between 8pm tomorrow and 8am on Monday, August 11 to allow the improvements to be completed.
The new signalling system will replace 1930s mechanical technology with modern electronic systems controlled from Network Rail’s Lincoln signalling control centre.
Phase five of the project will take place in late October and further exhibitions will be held in Spalding and other communities to the south of the town affected before then.
