Network Rail is to close a level crossing at Needham Market in Suffolk and replace it with a pedestrian underpass.

An existing culvert under the railway at Gipsy Lane in Needham Market will be used to construct a safe footpath for pedestrians so that the level crossing can be closed.

In 2011, Olive McFarland was killed by a train at the level crossing in a tragic accident. Following the incident, Network Rail imposed a temporary speed restriction at the level crossing.

To improve safety while plans for an alternative to the level crossing were considered, the distance across the line for pedestrians was reduced by straightening the crossing and re-positioning the crossing gate.

To progress its plans to close the crossing, Network Rail has worked with Suffolk County Council and consulted the local community. The public consultation suggested that a dry channel of an existing culvert underneath the railway approximately 230 metres north of Gipsy Lane could be used to build an underpass.

As well as building the underpass, a new footpath to the B1113 Stowmarket Road will need to be built through private land on both sides of the railway.

Construction of the new footpath will start later this month and should be completed by the end of this year. Olive McFarland’s family has agreed that a plaque in her memory can be placed at the entrance to the culvert.

To help users of the level crossing understand the route of the new footpath and the reasons for the crossing’s closure before it closes, details of the new footpath will be displayed at the crossing and sent out to residents living within two miles of the crossing.

Progress on the construction of the new underpass and footpath can be found on Greater Anglia‘s X account @networkrailANG

Last year, Network Rail held a safety event at Elsenham in Essex to raise the public’s awareness about crossing the railway safely; the event was attended by a mother whose daughter tragically lost her life in 2005 at a level crossing in Elsenham.

Network Rail also installed the latest safety equipment at three level crossings in rural locations Norfolk so that people using the crossings with vehicles do not need to call the signaller to get permission to cross.

This closure has been a long time coming but the new footpath construction is underway and a safer pathway for pedestrians to cross this very busy stretch of railway will be open early next year. This will significantly improve safety for everyone who needs to cross the railway at Gipsy Lane and for those working and travelling on it.

Lawrence Bowman, Network Rail route director for Anglia