Rail work protects biodiversity on North Cotswold line

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Network Rail has set up an eco task force to help rare species move into new homes on the railway, protecting them as improvement work on the North Cotswold line moves to the next vital stage.

Special temporary measures, including the use of a night vision camera and amphibian fencing, have been deployed to survey and help relocate badgers, great crested newts and around 3,000 roman snails near Charlbury.

Lucie Anderton, Network Rail’s environment specialist, said:

“The railway is extremely rich in biodiversity today and this is partly owing to our concerted efforts to conserve and protect the environment. Interestingly, we found through ecological surveys that the area around Charlbury is a great breeding area for badgers, newts and roman snails.

“We are taking extra steps in the course of improving the railway to protect these special species and help them to continue to thrive on the railway before and after our work. Our initiative is approved by Natural England and is also carefully designed so that it is harmless to the wildlife.”

With the help of an ecologist, Network Rail is using a night-vision camera to closely monitor a small badger sett that has been closed, so that they will not be harmed when work is being carried out in the area.

The roman snails, which are also known as escargots, have been found along the railway cutting around Charlbury. Work started last year to relocate them to a nearby spot during the warmer months to avoid coinciding with their hibernation period during winter.

Around 15 great crested newts were found in two ponds close to the work site and were found to use a railway concrete trough route as their home. An amphibian fence was installed during breeding season when the newts moved out of their habitat into the pond.

This fence will protect the newts as the trough route is upgraded as part of the improvement work. The fencing will be removed to allow these newts to return once the work is completed before the hibernation season begins.

1 COMMENT

  1. what about all the lovely trees that are being cut down to facilitate all this work? Which eco task force is going to protect them? No-one consulted users of this station if they were happy about all the trees going to build all these hideous looking improvements

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