A RAIL UNION is calling for the House of Commons Transport Committee to investigate Network Rail's level crossing safety policy, after several fatal accidents at crossings which had previously been reported to be dangerous.

The general secretary of TSSA, Manuel Cortes, made the call at his union's conference after claiming that there had been warnings before a 13-year old girl was killed on a tramway crossing south of Hucknall near Nottingham, four years after a previous fatal accident on the adjacent National Rail track.

He also highlighted the deaths of two teenage girls at Elsenham in 2005, for which Network Rail was fined £1 million last year, and also the recent conviction of Network Rail and a signaller for the death of a woman on the crossing at Moreton-on-Lugg, which occurred after the signaller had mistakenly raised the barriers when a train was approaching.

The trial heard that Network Rail had decided not install approach interlocking at the crossing on cost grounds after assessing the risk as very low, although it has now done so.

Manual Cortes accused Network Rail of 'putting the bottom line in front of the safety line in too many cases', and said he will urge Transport Committee chairman Louise Ellman to launch an inquiry.

He added: "We want the families of the victims of this cost driven policy to be heard. We don't just want the bureaucrats from the DfT, the ORR and NR to be seen trying to defend the indefensible.

"By hearing from the people who now live day by day with the consequences of these failures, we believe there is a real chance that a much better safety regime will emerge."

He also described Network Rail's current level crossing closure programme of one in eight of its 6,500 crossings as "too slow, too little and and too late".

Network Rail said it made improvements to its crossing at Hucknall after the accident in 2008, but the crossing was closed entirely in February this year and is to be replaced by a footbridge. The 2012 accident on the parallel tramway was not on Network Rail property.

Railnews has also learnt that the 'warnings' about Hucknall tram crossing before the 2012 incident had come from a third-party source. Even so, they had been assessed in detail by the Office of Rail Regulation's railway inspectors, who had made a site visit before deciding that some of the suggestions were not necessary.

In general, the ORR wants level crossings to be phased out where possible, and for work to continue on improving safety systems where they remain. An ORR spokesman said “Our thoughts are with all those involved in this tragic incident. An ORR inspector attended the site at Hucknall, and we are working with the Rail Accident Investigation Branch and other agencies to identify the causes of this incident, and establish if any health and safety laws have been breached. As this is a live investigation, it would be inappropriate to make any further comment at this stage.”

A Network Rail spokesman added: "We recognise that level crossings can be dangerous which is why over the past two years we have closed over 700 and are investing some £130 million in improvements. By early next year we will have made improvements at some 2,500 of the country’s 6,500 crossings and continue a national public awareness campaign to help educate people about their dangers and how to use them correctly."