How we maintain our fencing
We use fences to mark the boundary of our land. They also serve as a deterrent to preventtrespass and vandalism. Part of a structure, buildings – and occasionally natural screens of thorny shrubs – can also act as railway boundaries.
We check the fences on a regular basis, typically annually. The type of fence we provide depends on the use of the land adjacent to it. We will identify the use of the adjacent land from these inspections.
Animals next to the railway
The fencing we use across the network depends on the adjacent land use and level of risk. Some of it may not be suitable for keeping small animals off the railway. Dog owners should always take extra care when near the railway.
If you have livestock, such as cows and horses, please tell us if you feel the fence is not suitable for keeping them off the railway.
Pleaselet us knowif you are planning to introduce these animals next to railway land. We’ll investigate any fencing to check its suitability. We may need to replace or repair parts of it to make sure it is suitable. This can take some time to organise so please give us as much warning as possible.
Fences between your property and the railway
We’re responsible for the fencing that forms the boundary to the railway. If there’s a problem with our fencing we will either fix the fence or replace it. This doesn’t apply to other fences that may be parallel to our boundary measure.
Please don’t attach anything to our fencing, including another fence, as it may be damaged if we need to repair or replace it.
What to do if there’s a problem
If our fencing is showing signs of age and fatigue,let us knowand we’ll investigate and assess it. If there’s a gap and we can’t immediately carry out a permanent repair, then we'll do a temporary repair first of all.
If we can’t repair the fence to a safe standard, and a fence is needed to keep the railway safe, we’ll replace it with a new one of a similar size and type. Occasionally we’ll replace it with a higher specification, particularly iftrespassing, vandalismorfly-tippingare common in the area. Similarly, we may replace it with a lower specification if it’s safe to do so.
Sometimeswe need to remove plants and treesso we can maintain our fences. Wework with conservation and environmental expertsso we don’t harm native wildlife while we do this.
In some areas it’s not safe to replace fencing when trains are running, so we may have to carry out the repairs at night or as part of the next scheduled track maintenance.
If you need to know more or have a problem with any of our fences, pleaseget in touch.
Find out more
More information for lineside neighbours