A new notification service has been launched to help people living near the railway get quicker and easier alerts about disruptive railway work.
Across the West Midlands and surrounding areas, there are around two million people who live within 500m of the railway. They can now sign up to a new notification system which will alert them via email about upcoming work which may impact them during unsociable hours.
The new service is part of Network Rail’s ongoing efforts to be a good neighbour. It will also save money with fewer letters needing to be posted and delivered. With thousands of miles of track, hundreds of bridges, dozens of level crossings, and hundreds of signals and stations with Network Rail’s Central route – which covers the West Midlands and routes to London Marylebone, Worcester, Shrewsbury and Oxford - there is an ongoing need for maintenance to keep the railway safe and reliable for passengers and freight.
Significant work that can only happen when trains aren’t running, either overnight or during planned line closures, could affect neighbours with noise or light impacts and it’s this work Network Rail alerts its neighbours about. The new email service – which can be signed up to by visiting www.networkrail.co.uk/railworknearme - will provide clear, accessible and timely updates about work going on in their neighbourhood which might cause a disturbance.
Jon Crampton, head of communications for Network Rail Central route, said: “Traditionally we have posted letters to our railway neighbours to give as much notice as possible about essential maintenance work and engineering upgrades which may impact them.
“Moving to an email notification system will really help to improve the way we engage with our communities and alert our neighbours, as part of our commitment to deliver a simpler, better, greener railway. I’d urge anyone living close to the railway to take two minutes to sign up for the free service so they can be kept informed about work happening near them.”
The new scheme also has the added benefit of saving the railway postage costs for every update sent, money that instead can be reinvested elsewhere on the network. Letters will still be used for those who have not signed up for the email updates.
The rollout follows successful pilot schemes where more than 200,000 notifications were sent to neighbours via email, saving more than £360,000 compared to sending traditional letters. More information for those living by the railway and details on how to sign up for digital notifications can be found at www.networkrail.co.uk/communities/living-by-the-railway
