Safety barriers questioned after vehicle lands on busy railway line

The effectiveness of safety barriers on road crossings over rail has again been brought into question today (Thursday) after two people were killed when their vehicle landed on a railway line in Birmingham.

The incident, which happened around 8pm last night, saw a Land Rover crash through an 18-inch-thick concrete barrier in the Longbridge area of Birmingham and slide down an embankment - it was then clipped by a passing train travelling between Birmingham New Street and Cheltenham Spa/Redditch.

One man died at the scene, and a second was pronounced dead at Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham.

Another passenger, a boy aged between eight and ten, is in a critical condition at the Children's Hospital in Birmingham.

The train was not de-railed and no passengers were hurt.

Inspector Keith Morgan, of West Midlands Police, said: "We are not sure what caused this but it's possible that the driver lost control of the vehicle and it went through a fence on to the line.

"We believe there was some sort of collision with a train - perhaps a glancing blow, but we are trying to find out more."

Early last year the Highways Agency completed its 10-month investigation into the use of near-side safety barriers on roads crossing railway lines following the deaths of 10 people in the Selby disaster of February 2001.

One of the proposals put forward from the report was a nation-wide programme to lengthen and strengthen all of the country's bridge barriers, many of which are constructed under regulations laid down in 1967.

CJ understands that this report is still with ministers awaiting a decision.