The historic railway crossing linking Ngatai Road and Seaway Terrace has been fenced off despite opposition from local residents.

According to KiwiRail the crossing is unsafe and bringing it up to standard will cost 'hundreds of thousands” of dollars because of the sight-line safety requirements.

The crossing has been closed despite the efforts of local residents. Photos: Avalon Guy.

It is ranked as one of the top 10 most unsafe pedestrian railway crossings in New Zealand – a stat that forced Kiwirail to close it for a number of years.

The closure will come as a disappointment to nearby residents who turned up to last week's council‘s city vision committee meeting intent on defending the crossing - only to be told there will be no extension or reprieve.

In the last week KiwiRail have constructed a fence and erected a no-trespass sign (see below).

KiwiRail security and corridor manager Frazer Tweedie says that together with the council they were concerned at the lack of visibility, and suggested residents to use the road overbridge at Otumoetai Road or the crossing at Bureta Road.

Frazer says with the increase in trains coming through to the Port of Tauranga, the walkway presents a serious issue.

'Safety is KiwiRail's priority and we want everyone to be safe on the rail network,” he says. 'There is an increase in the number and length of trains using this line and this will no doubt keep increasing as the port grows.

'Trains are heavy and take a long time to stop, and at this location there is not good visibility.”

The two organisations reviewed and assessed the area and a survey revealed that the usage of the walkway was very low, with an average of nine people using it per day over a three-week period.

KiwiRail and the council urge people to think about their own behaviour and safety on the rail network and remind people that crossing over unprotected railway tracks can have fatal consequences.