Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance her Department issues on the amount of time a level crossing may be down each day; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of delays caused by crossings being down on (a) commuters, (b) the local economy and (c) the environment.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR), in its capacity as the independent safety regulator for Britain’s railways, works closely with the rail industry to improve level crossing safety, including by issuing guidance on managing level crossings and minimising risks so far as is reasonably practicable. The law requires railway businesses to manage level crossing risk effectively using their own safety management systems on a case-by-case basis, and ORR provides assurance that they are doing so. This involves ensuring that duty holders work with local authorities to understand the needs of local communities and impacts of operational decisions. The department does not, however, have a formal role in this process.