Level crossing in Olhão will be reopened - and then closed again

The railway crossing in Olhão that was closed last October will be reopened within days, albeit temporarily, when workers have replaced the concrete previously drilled out and piled to one side in a cynical and ultimately fruitless attempt to stop pedestrians using it.

"We have three sets of problems and have tried to solve them all. For security reasons, this level crossing will be closed in the future, but for it to be closed we have to ensure that there are alternative ways people can cross," said the president of Infraestrutura de Portugal, António Ramalho.

The official was speaking at the signing of a protocol between the company and Olhão council which will lead to extensive work on the much-hated underpass at an estimated cost of €150,000 paid for by Infraestruturas de Portugal. The unnecessary monitoring of the old level crossing during the construction work on the underpass will be the responsibility of the local authority with the costs shared between the two parties.

Olhão’s mayor said the solution is a balanced one based on common sense as the railway company has to make sure the underpass is safe. Ramalho also guaranteed that the old level crossing that was trashed by the railway company’s contractors in an attempt to stop residents using it, will be evened out and left in good condition.

Having spent €150,000 of taxpayers’ money on the feared underpass, the plan is to once again to close the old level crossing unless the underpass floods, which it will from time to time, in which case the old level crossing will be reopened - but only if the Civil Protection body authorises it.

The leader of Infraestructuras de Portugal said he hopes the work can take place "within a reasonable time" but did not risk putting a start or finish date to his senseless plan, adding that "it will take the time that it will take, bearing in mind public procurement rules.”

During the signing of the protocol, António Ramalho drew attention to the various offences reported on the Algarve railway line including pedestrians crossing the track in places where this is prohibited, something he put down to 'habit' and cited the "excessive confidence that people have in relation to the train."

In Olhão there are 26 trains daily, 13 in each direction, hitting a maximum 90 kilometres per hour but travelling slowly at the Olhão pedestrian crossing as trains slow down to enter the nearby station, or slowly accelerate away.

The closure of the level crossing between Dr. Bernardino Avenida da Silva and the Avenida da República caused a high degree of disgruntlement among locals as not one pedestrian has ever been hit by a train at the location. The elderly have been forced to use an unsuitable road underpass with at least one invalid buggy involved in an accident on the uneven road since the level crossing has been closed.

Tagged ‘The Berlin Wall’ by locals, a fence was erected to stop pedestrians using the old crossing. This has been torn down so many times that the railway company resorted to drilling out the concrete to make the crossing as dangerous as possible. People power prevailed and wooden beams and concrete blocks have been used to enable many to cross at a greater personal risk than before.
 
Mayor Pina assured his flock that he would take on the then railway company Refer, now part of Infraestrutura de Portugal, but has agreed only a half-baked solution.

Local social media claims the solution in fact was an easy one, made complicated by these bureaucrats who can make something so simple into an expensive hash.

The solution was to keep the old level crossing and make it safer for pedestrians by adding a barrier either side with audible and visible warning signals triggered when trains are approaching.

This simple approach would also have been the most cost-effective but Ramalho is intent on making his €150,000+ point at the taxpayers’ expense and authorising expensive work to an underpass which none want to use.   

Mayor Pina announced that "through dialogue, perseverance and toughness, an understanding was established with Refer resulting in authorisation that Olhão pedestrians can continue to cross the railway line, as they always have, until Refer complete the necessary work on the underpass."

If this is a victory then Pina’s definition of victory certainly differs to the norm.

The prediction locally is that when the work has been completed on the underpass and the level crossing once again is closed off, the game of cat and mouse will continue with the fencing torn down by night and replaced by day with expensive regularity.

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