Accrington Railways - Robert Kenyon

had been travelling at between 30 and 40 miles per hour when the incident occurred and the police were not treating the death as suspicious. The worst part was that a small group who witnessed what had happened included two children who it was said, “were extremely upset”. June Plans were announced for improvements to Accrington’s railways costing £24,000 as part of the ‘Railside Revival’ project, now in its seventh year. Included in the scheme was to have the disused part of the railway bridge over Willows Lane converted into a cycleway. This was part of another initiative in the partnership between Hyndburn Council, LCC and BR. A copy of the Railside Revival Programme for 1995/96 was presented to a meeting of the Development Services Committee, and it was resolved that following commitments on this year’s Capital Programme, the left-over amount of £26,903 would be directed towards the following schemes - 1. Environmental improvements to Accrington Railway Station with an estimated contribution of £2,500 and £3,500. 2. A footpath and cycleway behind Platform 1 of Accrington Railway Station at an estimated cost of £15,000. 3. A footpath and cycleway over the Willows Lane Bridge as part of the West Accrington Corridor, at an estimated cost of £20,000. 4. That these schemes would be given priority in terms of implementation during the financial year, and pending the availability of resources the following additional projects would be undertaken. 5. Improvements to the Coach Road in Oswaldtwistle. 6. A fence separating Platform 1 of Accrington Railway Station from the ‘recreational corridor’ at a cost of £5,130. 7. The installation of twin-headed lighting over Platform 1 of Accrington Railway Station. September At a meeting of the Technical Services Committee, the DofTS submitted a report on the East Lancs Line Regional Challenge Bid, and it was resolved to give this initiative the Committee’s full support. Police were called to Accrington Railway Station, when a man who had stated he had no intention of paying his rail fare had pulled a knife on the train conductor. The man had thrown the weapon out of the window of the carriage after he had told the official, “I am your worst nightmare”. Following his arrest the 35 year old man from Burnley was fined £100 for carrying a knife, £25 for travelling without a ticket and £40 for obstructing a police officer whislt discharging his duties. October British Transport Police were obliged to slow trains to a walking pace as they passed the Bridge Street Industrial Estate on the West End of Oswaldtwistle, whilst the body of a woman was recovered from the bottom of the railway embankment. Lifting equipment was used by the fire brigade, as the 53 year-old’s body had been thrown some distance by the impact from a fast moving train. It had been necessary to use the police helicopter and dogs in order to locate the corpse, after they had been alerted by the train driver who had spotted her on the line seconds before the tragedy. An ambulance had been required to come down a fairway of Accrington Golf Club in order to take the body away. The police had informed the Coroner, Andre Rebello, that there were no other suspicious circumstances. November A train driver relived the horror of striking a man when he was travelling at 45 miles per hour after he saw him start to do press-ups on the line. He was giving evidence at the inquest of a man who had died as a result of injuries sustained on April 1 st last, to the west of Church & Oswaldtwistle Railway Station. The driver had seen him start to cross the line and thought he would easily get clear. Since it was a regular occurrence to see people walking over the tracks, he had hesitated before applying the emergency brakes until the man suddenly turned back, and began doing press-ups. The Home Office Pathologist, Dr. William Lawler, stated the deceased had over three times the legal driving limit of alcohol in his blood at the time he died. The jury ruled that this was a suicide whilst the balance of his mind was disturbed. December Meeting again the Technical Services Committee heard the DofTS’s report, which contained the details of Regional Railways timetable proposals from May 1996. THE PRIVATISED RAILWAY ERA (As they had done with the buses a decade earlier, the Conservative Government now set about dividing up the railways for sale to the private sector, and this would

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