Letter from ProRail November 2023

Subject: opening of alternative footpath and closure of Meuser Street crossing

Dear Sir, Madam,

We have informed you before about the plans to close the NABO (Not Actively Secured Overpass) on Meuser Street and construct an alternative walking path to the Worm Valley. Work on this new walking path is now at completion. This letter tells you more about the opening of the new path and the final closure of the crossing on Meuser Street. 

New hiking trail Worm Valley

The new semi-paved hiking trail towards the Worm Valley is almost complete. The path will be opened to hikers at the end of November. Below is the route of the new path.  

An aerial view of the area around the Meuser Street Haanrader Street T-junction and the railroad tracks. A red line indicates where the footpath runs.

 As indicated earlier, for social safety reasons, the walking path will be closed in the evening. This will be done by means of two gates. These gates will be placed at the level of the small tunnel and at the level of Meuser Street. The closing is done with an automatic timer.  

Meuser street crossing closure

During the week of December 11, the unguarded crossing Meuserstraat will be closed by fences. From then on, you can reach the Wormdal from Meuser Street only via the new footpath.
At a later time, the existing level crossing will be removed completely. We do not yet know when this work will be carried out. Of course, those living in the immediate vicinity will be informed in a timely manner. 

Why close?

The use of level crossings in the Netherlands is increasing. More trains are running and trains are becoming faster and quieter. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (IenW) has instructed ProRail to remove 180 publicly accessible Non-Actively Secured Level Crossings: NABO (unsecured level crossings in popular parlance) on the passenger network as soon as possible. At a NABO, people have to be on their own alert for an approaching train. This makes these level crossings life-threatening. Especially if they are on publicly accessible land. The Meuser Street crossing is one of them.

Do you have any questions?

If so, please feel free to contact us. You can reach us at www.prorail.nl/contact. Or call 0800 - 776 72 45 (free of charge). This can be done on weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. and, of course, also outside office hours in the event of an emergency or serious nuisance.

Sincerely,

Dimitri Jug
Director of Southern Region
ProRail                    

Alexander Geers
Alderman Traffic and Transportation
Municipality of Kerkrade