Category: Network Rail (Page 5 of 5)

Network Rail’s chainsaws are coming back to Strathbungo on 10 January, but after five months of pressure by local residents, our elected representatives and the Glasgow City Council, it will perhaps not be as much of a “massacre” as first feared.
“In any case, we have won important concessions as regards a replanting scheme,” says Strathbungo Cllr Malcolm Cunning.
Since the major public protest led by the Strathbungo Society during August and September, including nightly vigils at the railway bridge, things have gone somewhat quiet on the trackside, although there’s been a good bit of manoeuvring behind the scenes.
At the height of the protest in mid September, it apparently dawned on someone at NR that they would require a road closure to take out the mature trees along Moray Place– an administrative process which normally takes six weeks and the Council was in no mood to fast track their application.
Meanwhile, autumn arrived, leaves fell and temperatures dropped, allowing a cooling off period in which more productive negotiations could begin.
At a meeting on 6 December, officials from Glasgow Land Services told Network Rail that they would be willing to coordinate a replanting scheme and find funding through various sources to allow for a more comprehensive and sympathetic scheme than NR had been planning.
NR agreed to that proposal and, importantly, also agreed to allow Gerry Gillespie, the Council’s Arboriculturalist, to draw up a replanting scheme based on NR’s list of acceptable species. He will do this in consultation with both the Strathbungo Society and Glasgow Tree Preservation Society.
So the upshot is, as Malcolm puts it, “Network Rail are getting what they wanted-that is, most of the mature trees will be coming down. However, there will now be a sensible replanting scheme that takes into consideration the long-term good of the conservation area and the wishes of local residents. It will obviously take some time to mature, but the green corridor will be preserved.”

What happens next?

The road closure order on Moray Place comes into effect on Monday, 10 January.
Work is expected to start right away, beginning at 1-10 Moray Place and proceeding in block long segments over the next fortnight.
Land Services will provide a traffic management plan so that closure of various blocks will cause as little disruption and/or risk as possible.
As expected, works will include removal of the majority of the mature trees.
The 120-year-old beech tree at the railway bridge has major structural faults and cannot be saved. Because it’s located at a junction, this will also have implications for traffic management while felling is underway.
NR are aware of their responsibility for eradicating a large patch of highly-invasive Japanese knotweed on the Darnley Road side of the tracks.
It is hoped that the first phase of the replanting scheme can be carried out during the dormant period before March. The remainder will have to wait for next November.
NR also have to address the issue of railings where these have been removed or damaged.

“We have been reassured that, unlike trees, fencing will come under Council planning control for the conservation area so we should not have to worry about an inappropriate fence going up,” Malcolm said.
However, as we say, watch this space!

So did we win or lose?

The Strathbungo Society has taken a reasonable approach throughout the protest, recognising the genuine safety issues caused by leaves on the lines and also the dire condition of many of the trees after years of neglect by Network Rail and its predecessor Railtrack.
It might have been convenient to dismiss local residents as “tree huggers”, but nobody believed that except Network Rail.
Says Strathbungo Chairman Kevin Kane: “When it comes to health and safety issues, the odds are always stacked very heavily in NR’s favour. They did not have to reveal their assessment to us, they were not liable to planning consent even for the conservation area and the Council had little leverage.
“In the face of what seemed to be an unstoppable force, we were able to commission an independent tree survey and pull together a pretty effective campaign of publicity and peaceful protest. And it wasn’t just the usual suspects-it’s amazing how many new people we met over the late summer and early autumn and we hope they will continue to work with us for the good of the community.
“We also got a lot of help from our elected officials-Malcolm Cunning in particular, and also Mohammad Sarwar MP, Cllr Stephen Currren, Gordon Jackson MSP. As a matter of fact we had cross party support from Bashir Ahmed, Nicola Sturgeon, Rosie Kane, Alan Rodger, the Greens and the Lib Dems-it got pretty crowded out there on that railway bridge!”
The truth is, we will never know what might have happened if we had not raised our protest although communities all over Britain-notably Burnside, during the summer-have learned the hard way about Network Rail’s heavy-handed approach to “vegetation management”.The trackside might have been just as devastated as Blairbeth Road (see the Burnside pictures in our gallery).
Says Kevin: ‘I think it’s going to be much better than it would have been otherwise. The green corridor is going to be designed and replanted so we won’t be left with just the random vegetation that grew up over years of neglect. We also brought people together to meet and discuss an important local issue – that’s popular, neighbourhood-style democracy!’
Thanks to all who turned out to watch, witness and question what Network Rail were doing. And remember, the chainsaws come back on 10 January so the danger is by no means over yet.

London Underground has an enlightened policy of balancing safety issues with environmental protection. As you will read here in this piece from the Tube’s website, Network Rail’s arrogant clear cutting policy is not the only way -indeed, it may cause more problems than it solves.

TAKE A BOUGH

Preparing for leaf fall
They provide a sound buffer between trains and neighbouring properties, they encourage wildlife, and their roots keep embankments in place by helping to stop water erosion.
But – as many people know – trees also have leaves. And leaves can cause lots of problems for trains.
The time of ‘leaf fall’ comes every autumn. It may not sound dangerous, but as any commuter knows, leaves can – and do – stop trains in their tracks. When leaves fall onto the track, they get crushed by passing trains.
The squashed leaves then form a slippery and treacherous film that means the train wheels can’t grip the tracks properly.
The obvious solution would be to cut down all the trees and bushes that might cause trouble. But as IBCV Section Track Manager for Environment Michael Palmer points out, good management of the vegetation alongside the tracks on the Central Line means that trains and trees can co-exist.
“We spray weedkiller in a 2 metre band either side of the tracks,” he says. “We also inspect and remove diseased trees and dead branches, and regularly prune the trees to thin the canopy.
“If we take any trees away, we take care to replant trees that don’t shed as many leaves, or ones that shed the kind of leaves that don’t give us a problem.”
‘Good’ trees include the evergreen oak (because it doesn’t shed its leaves at all) and the hornbeam (the canopy grows close to the trunk and limits the area into which leaves fall).
Shrubs such as broom, laveteria, berberis, laurels and holly can also be ideal, as they only grow to around six feet and don’t shed their leaves.
As well as planting and pruning, Michael’s team also treats the tracks with a substance known as Sandite, which aids the grip of wheels.
Sandite is a thick gel containing grains of sand, which covers the rails and provides friction for the wheels.
But there’s more to tree management than dealing with leaves. Michael’s team of thirteen prunes and maintains trees and bushes all year round along the Central Line.
As it’s London’s longest Tube line, that’s 74km, or 46 miles to deal with.
The team also repairs fences, kills weeds, clears platform areas of vegetation (and snow in winter), and also clears signals, drains, ditches and airshafts.
Michael needs to keep one eye on the smooth running of the trains, whilst keeping the other firmly on his responsibility for wildlife. “We will always wait for the young of birds or squirrels to leave nests before we remove branches or cut down whole trees,” he says. “People love them or hate them, trees are a fact of Tube life.
“Some people love trees, some hate them; some of the Line’s neighbours want us to do away with the trees, others are very passionately defensive of them.
We have inherited some beautiful trees – oak and ash and beech. We check them all out regularly, and make sure they are kept healthy, and thinned out so they don’t drop too many leaves – either on the track, or in neighbouring gardens.”
And looking after the trackside vegetation properly has brought other dividends. “We have a good relationship with our neighbours now,” says Michael.
“It’s because we make an effort to keep the trees in a manageable -and managed -state.”
Leaves on the line
Many people believe the Tube is the only railway which suffers delays every autumn caused by falling leaves on the line. This is not so. We reproduce here a reader’s letter to The Times newspaper of 6 November 2002 on page 32. The column is called Questions Answered.
Do other countries’ railway systems grind to a halt at the onset of autumn owing to a surprise fall of leaves on the line?
The simple answer is “yes”, but the public, press and media do not make a fuss about it.
Just as wet leaves on a pavement can cause loss of footing, they can cause steel wheels to lose firm contact with steel rails.
In Paris, commuters on some lines only too aware of autumn leaves on the line.
The Dutch know the problem as well and have been experimenting with the Sandite used in this country. In Germany, the Munich Stadtbahn usually gets stitched up at this time of the year – yes, leaves again.
And only the other week on the Oberammergau branch, the brand new trains had to be taken off as they cannot cope with…leaves on the line.
Thiry years ago in Sweden, it was not unknown for a special banking locomotive to be positioned at Norrkoping station to help southbound trains to start away in autumn because of the number of trees near the station.
The problem has worsened everywhere as we have become “greener”. There were not as many trees and bushes along railway lines years ago – steam locomotives regularly set fire to embankments and this helped to keep things under control.
However, even in those far-off days, it was not unknown for freight trains to take less tonnage in autumn when adhesion conditions were bad.
What’s my tree?
Oak: Quercus robur
Here comes the science bit:
A large tree (35 metres) with a wide crown, and broad bole bearing low branches at right articles. It is often planted in woods, parks and gardens.
What use is it?
Buildings, ships, barrels, furniture, wheel spokes, charcoal.
In autumn, acorns make useful missiles for throwing at people who annoy you. Also squirrels can use them as props for family pictures.
Hornbeam: Carpinus betulu
The science bit:
The hornbeam grows to 25 metres and has a fluted, buttressed bole, and grey bark with metallic-blue and pale brown veins. The leaves are dark green and glossy above and paler below, with a short red-brown petiole.
What use is it?
Butchers’ chopping blocks, shoe lasts, skittles, wooden screws, industrial cogs and pulleys. Pyromaniacs and bakers may like to note that the timber makes good fuel for bread ovens.
Ash:Fraxinus excelsior
Here comes the science bit:
With smooth grey bark and glabrous leaves that are green even in autumn, the ash grows up to 40 metres high and prefers damp, calcareous soil.
What use is it?
Wheel rims, ladder rungs, tool handles, oars, hockey sticks, tennis rackets and billiard cues. The timber is shock absorbent, and presumably ideal for making go karts, pogo sticks, heavyweight clubs and other so-called ‘blunt instruments’.
Sycamore: Acer pseudoplatanus
Here comes the science bit:
An abundant tree that tolerates salt spray and city pollution. It reaches around 35 metres in height and has smooth grey bark, which is whorled and cracked higher up.
What use is it?
Kitchen utensils, draining boards, rollers and furniture. The seeds are sometimes affectionately called ‘helicopters’, and because of the cool way they fall to the ground, can be a good way of getting children interested in nature. For about five minutes.
http://tube.tfl.gov.uk/content/faq/faqs/trees.asp

Based on the experience at Moray Place / Darnley Road:
That MPs, MSPs and Glasgow City Council demand that Network Rail submit a detailed plan for tree management across the whole rail network of the South of Glasgow (based on the experience of NR’s proposed Moray Place Tree Massacre).
That the refusal of Network Rail to release all tree and environmental assessments to the Council and/or Scottish Natural Heritage is totally unacceptable and that MPs / MSPs seek to bring Network Rail under the aegis of the Freedom of Information Act.
That in the absence of the release of Network Rail assessments, that the recommendations of the Strathbungo Society tree survey (see separate news item) should be the “baseline” for any work on this stretch of track.
The Society accepts Network Rail’s view that the main leaf fall problem species are: ash (Fraxinus excelsior); sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus); horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum); sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa); poplar (Populus spp. except Populus tremula); lime (Tilia spp.) As such, the Society does not accept that any trees be cleared unless so identified as posing a safety.
That Network Rail commits itself to accepting the Strathbungo Society tree survey that states most trees could be retained; the removal of the majority of trees is not an acceptable position.
That Network Rail accept the advice of Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) that work should be undertaken on a phased basis, with a five year gap between works on the two sides of the railway. In addition, that dead wood be left on site as a valuable wildlife habitat (as advised by SNH).

Independent Railway Banking Tree Report

In response to Network Rail’s plans to remove all mature trees in the green corridor from the Old Strathbungo Station to Crossmyloof to Pollokshields West, including trees under preservation orders as part of the Strathbungo Conservation Area, the Strathbungo Society commisioned an independent report from a professional arboroculturalist, Southcraigs Forestry Services of Kilmarnock.
The Strathbungo Society demands that Network Rail commits to a sensible tree mamangement plan that protects the environment while meeting its safety requirements. This independent report suggests a way forward that will achieve both objectives.
The report in full is as follows:
For the attention of Kevin Kane, the Strathbungo Society:
Railway Banking Tree Report
At your request we visited the area where Network Rail intend removing trees which will affect your members and the area.
Our Survey is limited by access; all our observations and assessments were therefore made out-with the Network Rail ownership.
We can of course carry out more accurate assessments of tree condition but would need access. Depending on the most up to date rules this may require a ‘Blue Fence’or Warden, either would have to be supplied by Network Rail.
Before reading our report, it is best to establish the justifiable reasons Network Rail may have for the proposed work.
Network Rail has to run an efficient and safe mode of transport. Trees impact on this in several ways. For non-electrified lines the impact includes, leaves on the line. In large quantities this not only makes traction difficult, it can in extremis, ‘Hide’ a train by insulating it from the sensors. Continuous dense leaf fall can reduce efficient drainage causing engineering problems.
Tree canopies too close to the line obstruct vital signing and signals. They also reduce a Drivers reaction time to work squads and trespassing children and adults.
The same Health and Safety Legislation that permits and encourages removal of trees close to the running line also requires Network Rail to restrict and control both air and noise pollution. As responsible landowners they will also be aware of the importance of trees and shrubs in the urban landscape, both for visual purposes and to improve air quality.

REPORT
Darnley Road
On the Darnley Road side of the track, the distance between the running line and boundary wall varies from 12-15m wide.
Species on this bank are Ash, Sycamore, Aspen, Birch and Willow. The trees average 10-13m. in height, one or two specimens exceed this.
There is no apparent reason not to keep a 4m wide strip against the boundary wall. Selective removal of some trees within this area, particularly the Sycamore will minimise even the remaining small impact of leaf fall. This process could be used to improve the aesthetic impact of this strip. Minimal reduction of ground cover will encourage wildlife and discourage trespass.
Moray Place
The distance between the boundary fence and running line averages 9m. It is reasonable to require a 6m wide clear strip to the running line, this still leaves 3m. adjacent to the fence. As a result of previous clearance operations the majority of significant trees are in this 3m boundary strip, and many have been faced up to reduce their impact on the 6m clear strip.
The significant trees we found are as follows, by house numbers, we draw your attention again, to the limitations of our reporting.
Moray Place: Nos 1-10. Trees outwith Railway Property
The majority of larger trees in this area are outside the boundary wall and overhanging branches should not encroach on the 6m clear strip. Should they do so, work to reduce them should conform to BS 3998.
Moray Place: Trees within Railway Property
In addition there are a number of significant trees that are within, but close to, the boundary wall, they are as follows:
No 8: Ash tree-with tree surgery to the Railway face it could easily be retained without disturbing the balance of the tree.
No 10: 2No Ash treescan be dealt with as for tree at No 8.
Footbridge: Large Beech tree-this tree can be left in place if the crown is sympathetically re-shaped.
No 11: maintain a screen a strip 1-2m wide should be left.
Nos 15 and 17: Limes could be pollarded to 5-6m in height. (Please note this requires long-term maintenance every 5-10 years.)
No 17: Sycamore could be faced up without adversely affecting its stability.
The Queens Square road end:Horse Chestnut-the crown would require reducing by 30 per cent. The Sycamore adjacent to it would also have to be faced-up.
The Poplar: adjacent to the Road Sign is too large and vigorous. It should be removed by Railway staff.
No 19: Sycamore would require the crown to be reduced by 30 per cent.
No 20: Poplar will also have to be removed.
No 21: Small Sycamore-shorten branches on railway side.
No 22: Lime-this tree will not respond to pollarding and will have to be removed.
No 23: Ash and Chestnut-face-up and rebalance crown on Chestnut.
No 23: Elm-leaning-remove.
No 24: Sycamore-face-up and rebalance crown.
No 26: Birch-no action.
Opposite Marywood Square: Sycamore-face-up.
No 27: Sycamore leaning over railway-remove.
No 27: Cherry and Rowan-no action required.
No 28: Elm-dead-remove.
No 29: Sycamore-face-up.
No 30: Sycamore-crown reduction by 25 per cent.
No 31: Sycamore-face-up.
No 32: Lime-remove limb facing railway and re-pollard remainder.
No 33: Sycamore-face-up.
Opposite Vennard Gardens: Sycamore-face-up. Cut Ivy and face-up.
No 34: Sycamore-cut Ivy and face-up.
No 34: Poplar-too large and vigorous for site-remove.
Moray Place No 37: The Bridge-Trees outwith Railway Property
The Sycamore outside No 47 should be removed whilst retaining the Hawthorn trees growing either side. The Poplar opposite Carswell Gardens is a very vigorous specimen and should also be removed.
Field Work:T Calderwood
Report: R E Price
Date: 30th August 2004.
SouthCraigs Forestry Services
34, Wallacetown Avenue, Kilmarnock, Ayrshire KA3 6BH
Tel/Fax: 01563 550042 Mobile: 07860 391508

To read the official environmental policy of Network Rail (nice words!), visit:
http://www.networkrail.co.uk/cache/Network Rail Env Policy.pdf