Boldon and Tilesheds level crossings (BTLC)

The proposed bridge option is subject to comment and feedback from the general public, interested stakeholders and elected ward members; this proposal is subject to a planning application.

These pages will be updated throughout the course of this proposal.

There are road safety concerns at both Tilesheds and Boldon level crossings.

The concerns are due to misuse of the current half barrier system, which has led to several serious road traffic accidents over the years. 

To help resolve the road safety problem, Network Rail are planning to install a full barrier system in 2024 to replace the current half barrier system.

An alternative solution to this is being explored by South Tyneside Council. This solution is in the form of a proposed new road bridge, which would go over the rail lines. The bridge option means the two level crossings could close, the road safety risk with the level crossings would be removed and any future congestion problems alleviated.

In 2012, Network Rail approached South Tyneside Council with regard to road safety concerns at both Tilesheds and Boldon level crossings and highlighted that measures would need to be taken to reduce the road safety risk.

To reduce the risk to the highway and rail users, Network Rail has proposed the option to replace the half barriers with a safer full barrier system. If this went ahead, it would be scheduled for completion in 2024.

The full barriers would improve safety but consequently would take longer to operate, meaning barrier down time would be increased. Road closed times for this type of level crossing as supplied by Network Rail are 2¹/₂  to 3 minutes for a single train and up to twice this amount when a train is approaching the level crossing just as the first has cleared it. The increase in barrier downtime would lead to: 

• increased congestion for the area
• the problem of traffic re-routing 
• increased air pollution

The Traffic Management Act 2004 places a duty on local authorities to make sure traffic moves freely and quickly on their roads, this act was introduced to tackle congestion and disruption on the road network as well as help plan to mitigate for such eventualities in the future, where possible.

Whilst the full barrier system would not remove the risk completely, it would: 

• significantly improve safety for road and rail users 
• improve reliability for the services using the line and create the potential for increased capacity / frequency for the rail line in the future

Traffic flow predictions

The predicted impact on the traffic flow from the installation of full barriers can be seen on these videos below and cover different scenarios:

• Traffic flow with one train (morning peak) video - shows: 
  • Do minimum scenario (full barriers) at morning peak (8am)
  • Traffic queueing at level crossing blocks back beyond roundabout
  • Release of traffic from level crossings causes queuing at junction
  • Excessive queueing impacts on operation of level crossings
  • Queues do not fully dissipate before next train arrives
  • Long queues westbound along Tile Shed Lane
• Traffic flow with two trains (morning peak) video - shows: 
  • Do minimum scenario (full barriers) with two trains arriving at morning peak (8am)
  • Traffic queuing at level crossing blocks back beyond roundabout
  • Barriers remain down as train is detected in opposite direction
  • Increased downtime results in queueing beyond Boker Lane signals to the south and Galsworthy Road signals to the north
  • Queueing at roundabout impacts on level crossing
  • Queues take time to dissipate
• Traffic flow with one train (afternoon peak) video - shows: 
  • Do minimum scenario (full barriers) at afternoon peak (5pm)
  • Traffic queued at level crossing blocks back beyond roundabout
  • Queued traffic released from level crossings impacts on performance of adjacent junctions
• Traffic flow with two trains (afternoon peak) video - shows: 
  • Do minimum scenario (full barriers) with two trains arriving at afternoon peak (5pm)
  • Free-flowing network prior to train arriving
  • Queues quickly build up as level crossing barriers come down
  • Barriers remain down as train is detected in opposite direction
  • Queued traffic at level crossings is impacting on operation of junctions in close proximity to crossings
  • Queued traffic takes time to dissipate

Alternative option

Taking into consideration the safety concerns as well as the potential congestion problems and decrease in air quality that would be expected to arise, South Tyneside Council commenced feasibility work a number of years ago on an alternative option to the full barrier system.

With the support of Network Rail, South Tyneside Council has explored and developed a scheme as an alternative to the full barriers, and that option is a 'road over rail' bridge.

The option of a bridge will: 

• remove the safety risks and allow for better traffic movement in the area
• allow for both level crossings to be permanently closed 
• give Network Rail the ability to expand the frequency of trains on the network if they need to do so in the future

In order to explore the road over rail bridge option further it has been necessary to undertake a detailed feasibility study, incorporating many considerations on the overall footprint of a structure, including:

• potential land take
• buildability
• cost factors
• wildlife and environmental factors

Any scheme of this type will be subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment and will ultimately be subject to planning consent. It is at this point where the public can show official support or objection to the scheme.

Current and next steps

South Tyneside Council is now in a position to show the proposed road over rail bridge scheme as an alternative option to the full barrier system proposed by Network Rail.

As we move forward toward the design stages, the Council would welcome feedback from the public and other interested parties as to the proposals. Any relevant feedback will be considered as part of the detailed design process.

It will be necessary to proceed with the full detailed design to allow for a planning application to be submitted in the future.

Traffic flow predictions

The predicted benefits to the flow of traffic on the network can be seen on the videos below in the morning and afternoon peak:

• Traffic flow with bridge proposal (morning peak) video
• Traffic flow with bridge proposal (afternoon peak) video

The videos show:

• Western bridge scenario at the morning peak (8am) and afternoon peak (5pm)
• New roundabout replaces signals at New Road / Boker Lane (format to be confirmed)
• The new link bridging over the rail line
• New northern roundabout ties new road alignment with Boldon Road

Proposed layout

Map of the proposed bridge location showing the scheme layout: 

Proposed layout

Proposed structure

A typical example drawing of how the proposed bridge structure may look (subject to design): 

Proposed bridge structure

Proposed timeline 

Subject to planning permission construction is planned to begin in January 2022 and would be complete in March 2023.

Why the scheme is needed

Network Rail had already identified the need to upgrade these two-level crossings from the existing half barriers to full barrier operation to improve safety and prevent misuse. 

Full barriers will take significantly longer to operate (i.e. increased barrier downtime) and therefore lead to increased delays and congestion, the impact of this will be traffic finding alternative routes in the area. 

In order to demonstrate the potential implications of the full barrier systems at the crossings against that of the bridge proposal, this site includes computer generated traffic models. The implications on the highway traffic can be seen from the videos, see full barriers option.

What will happen and when

Ground investigation works have begun on site to help understand ground conditions for a potential new bridge structure.

Following the communications process, the design process will commence with a view to submitting an application to planning in August 2021.

Any feedback from the public in relation to the scheme will be taken into consideration where possible during the design process.

As part of the design process there will be the need for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which will inform much of the design and dictate requirements for the scheme.  This EIA will be included as part of the planning submission for consideration for consent in August 2021.
    
As part of the planning application process, the public can object, show support or comment at this time and these concerns will be taken into consideration by the planning authority.

Subject to gaining planning consent, works on site will commence in January 2022 and are planned to complete in March 2023.

Why there has been limited communications so far on the proposed bridge option

The route of the proposed bridge has only recently been determined. There has been a requirement to undertake extensive feasibility works and the scheme has been subject to a detailed appraisal process. No actual detailed design has been undertaken up to this point and therefore no further information has been available to disseminate.

We are now able to show the public and other interested bodies the option of the bridge in order to receive feedback and comments, the Council will respond to all requests for information and consider all comments submitted. Updates on progress will be added to this website and interested parties could be added to a regular update communications email.

Why this route has been selected

The route has been selected after a long and detailed feasibility process undertaken by consultants AECOM on behalf of South Tyneside Council.  Various options were looked at in detail, but the option presented was deemed the most viable and deliverable.

The selection process included a detailed appraisal of the following categories:

1. Overall Scheme Objectives
2. Environment
3. Deliverability and feasibility
4. Economy
5. People and Communities

The results from the route appraisal, in addition to the comments received from the planning authority and Natural England, provided a clear indication that the option presented  would fit the aims of the scheme.

What impact this is likely to have on the environment

The route appraisal study takes into consideration the environmental impacts of the proposed bridge option.

Due to the location of the scheme, the loss of trees and/or hedgerows is inevitable, but this will be mitigated as far as is practicably possible.  The impact of this will be determined via the Environmental Impact Assessment and proposals will need to be submitted as compensation for any loss as a consequence.  These proposals will need to be enough to compensate for any losses and will be closely scrutinised during the planning application consideration

The proposed route will go through what is deemed a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), the SSSI is in very poor condition and the route crosses over a small section of this. It is proposed that this loss will be compensated for by identifying a suitable area close by for improvement.

Natural England has been consulted in relation to the overall scheme proposals.  All feedback and comments have been taken into consideration in the process of defining the selected route to ensure the optimum route is adopted.  Any proposed scheme put forward at the planning stage needs to demonstrate that the comments of Natural England have been considered.

The Tilesheds pond is not affected by the scheme.  The method of working will take into consideration the location of the pond to ensure that it does not suffer any detriment during the works.

With regard to the location of nearby homes, it is not believed that the proposed scheme will have any detrimental effect, either visually and from a noise perspective. However, should the Environmental Impact Assessment identify this as a factor, then compensation measures would be adopted as a consequence.

In relation to wildlife, such as Great Crested Newts which are known to be present in the pond to the side of the existing Boldon Lane crossing, the Environmental Impact Assessment will identify the presence of any wildlife in the immediate vicinity and surrounding area and the relevant actions that must to put into practice.

With regard to air quality, the bridge proposal will allow for traffic to move freely in the area and mitigate the impact of idling traffic waiting at the level crossings. The full barrier proposals will see longer delays and increased congestion which will lead to the increased NO2 emissions from vehicles. 

Who is funding this and how much it costs

South Tyneside Council is looking to secure the funding via the North East Transforming Cities funding programme, this programme is a 3 ½ year programme of works and still subject to detailed business case submissions. South Tyneside Council will also make a financial contribution.

Network Rail will financially support either the bridge option or the full barrier option. Both options help improve the safety and performance of their rail line. 

The cost for the bridge works is estimated to be approx. £14.5 - 15.5m, this is subject to detailed design processes.

We would like to understand the public opinion on the proposed 'road over rail' bridge option.

Comments will be taken forward to the detailed design stage for consideration.

Email your comments

To give feedback, please email your comments to: 

tilesheds@southtyneside.gov.uk