Safety changes planned for Manorbier level crossings

Both the crossings – at Manorbier Newton and Beavers Hill, Manorbier– have seen several near-misses in recent years, as well as an incident at the latter where a car was struck by a train.

Daniel Jones, Network Rail level crossing manager for the Whitland region, said: “We had a consultation meeting with the community of Manorbier on November 4 to discuss safety improvements on the open crossings on the Pembroke Dock branch line.

There has been at least one collision and several near misses at the Beavers Hill crossing near Manorbier. (Image: Network Rail)

“The proposal of installing engineering controls at both Manorbier Newton Open Crossing and Beavers Hill Open Crossing has been very well received by the community.

"We’ve extensively reviewed available engineering control options such as installing level crossing barriers, warning lights and audible alarms.

Options explored

"All the options are currently being explored further with our engineering team for us to best understand what will improve the safety for both crossings, which is our primary focus.

"We intend to consult with the Manorbier community, ahead of any proposed level crossing upgrades, to make sure that any final decisions are considered suitable to everyone."

Crucial changes

In March, Network Rail introduced crucial changes at the two open crossings – which are between Manorbier and Lamphey stations -  as well as the one at Llanion, near Pembroke Dock station.

The changes meant that trains now slow down instead of stopping at the  crossings, approaching at a constant speed of 5mph with the driver sounding the horn as a warning, before proceeding if it is safe to do so,

The changes were made to improve "both safety and train performance," Network Rail said at the time.