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| Women and child injured in level crossing crash | Women and child injured in level crossing crash |
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| Pressure to end the use of automatic road-rail crossings has increased after two women and a child were seriously injured at a level crossing in South Yorkshire. | Pressure to end the use of automatic road-rail crossings has increased after two women and a child were seriously injured at a level crossing in South Yorkshire. |
| The child was airlifted to hospital after the collision between a train and a car at 12.35pm on Tuesday at Finningley, near Doncaster. | The child was airlifted to hospital after the collision between a train and a car at 12.35pm on Tuesday at Finningley, near Doncaster. |
| Paramedics treated the women before they were taken to hospital by ambulance. No one was injured on the Lincoln to Doncaster train, which was damaged but stayed on the rails. The line was closed in both directions and replaced with a bus service. | Paramedics treated the women before they were taken to hospital by ambulance. No one was injured on the Lincoln to Doncaster train, which was damaged but stayed on the rails. The line was closed in both directions and replaced with a bus service. |
| Transport experts have increasingly come to view unstaffed level crossings as inherently dangerous and too dependent on car driver behaviour to be acceptable. The general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), Bob Crow, said: "This is another tragic incident on Britain's railways that shines a spotlight yet again on the ever-present danger of mixing roads with rail track. RMT's campaign to speed up the phasing out of level crossings will continue and the investment required to deliver that objective must be made available by the government." | Transport experts have increasingly come to view unstaffed level crossings as inherently dangerous and too dependent on car driver behaviour to be acceptable. The general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), Bob Crow, said: "This is another tragic incident on Britain's railways that shines a spotlight yet again on the ever-present danger of mixing roads with rail track. RMT's campaign to speed up the phasing out of level crossings will continue and the investment required to deliver that objective must be made available by the government." |
| British Transport police said all the injured were in one car. A spokeswoman said: "BTP officers were called to the rail line at Beech Hill crossing, Spring Road, Finningley, South Yorkshire, following a report of a train striking a car. Passengers have been removed from the train and officers are working to establish more specifics about the incident and will provide updates as soon as any further information is available." | British Transport police said all the injured were in one car. A spokeswoman said: "BTP officers were called to the rail line at Beech Hill crossing, Spring Road, Finningley, South Yorkshire, following a report of a train striking a car. Passengers have been removed from the train and officers are working to establish more specifics about the incident and will provide updates as soon as any further information is available." |
| Network Rail has largely accepted the principle of improving crossings and phasing out as many as practicable. More than 500 have been closed in the past decade. The track operator was fined £1m in March for safety failings that caused the deaths of two schoolgirls — who were crossing a line on foot — at a level crossing in Essex in 2005. Directors waived their annual bonuses and said the money would go into a safety fund for crossing improvements. | Network Rail has largely accepted the principle of improving crossings and phasing out as many as practicable. More than 500 have been closed in the past decade. The track operator was fined £1m in March for safety failings that caused the deaths of two schoolgirls — who were crossing a line on foot — at a level crossing in Essex in 2005. Directors waived their annual bonuses and said the money would go into a safety fund for crossing improvements. |
| A spokesman for the train's operators, East Midlands, said: "Our first priority and thoughts are for those involved in the incident. Our staff ensured that passengers were safely escorted from the train and these passengers will be taken forward to Doncaster by alternative road transport. | A spokesman for the train's operators, East Midlands, said: "Our first priority and thoughts are for those involved in the incident. Our staff ensured that passengers were safely escorted from the train and these passengers will be taken forward to Doncaster by alternative road transport. |
| "Safety is our absolutely priority and we will do everything in our power to assist the investigation into identifying the cause of the incident." | "Safety is our absolutely priority and we will do everything in our power to assist the investigation into identifying the cause of the incident." |
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