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The NSG now includes details of every bridge, tunnel or level crossing, owned and managed by Network Rail, which interface with the public road network. This will provide valuable information regarding the location and nature of Network Rail's assets. It will assist in the planning and execution of works performed by Highway Authorities, public utilities such as electricity, gas, telecommunications and water companies, or their contractors by facilitating consultation and coordination of work on the nation's roads.
For the last 5 years a team of dedicated staff at Network Rail have been compiling a unique database of âAdditional Street Data' (ASD) for inclusion in the NSG. This database now contains details of every bridge (12,000+), level crossing (1600+) and tunnels owned and managed by Network Rail that have a direct interface with the public road network. ASD identifies the exact location of every railway asset, geo-referenced to the National Grid and more importantly to particular roads or streets held in the NSG using that road or street's USRN (Unique Street Reference Number); it is quite common to reference an asset to more than 1 street, and in the case of one tunnel there are over 25 separate streets involved.
Any work carried out by Network Rail on one of its bridges, level crossings or tunnels could have an impact on traffic and public safety. By the same token any roadwork undertaken by Highways Authorities or street works conducted by any one of over 300 other âStatutory Undertakers' could affect the safety of road users and railway passengers. It could also affect train operation, the integrity of the track, or the crossing itself plus any overhead or underground conduits or cables serving the railway. Highway Authorities and âStatutory Undertakers' can now make use of Network Rail's ASD data to ensure that all interested parties are aware of potential implications of intended works and provide Network Rail advanced notification of activities that might affect the railway.
"After 5 years of painstaking work we have arrived at a point where we can say our asset dataset is substantially complete," said Davy Crockett Network Rail's National Highways Interface Manager. Our data is now available to all Highways Authorities and any company using the NSG to reference street works notifications. This will have a positive impact on the consultation process, improve safety and help ensure that road and street-works are properly planned and co-ordinated, continued Crockett.
"The completion of Network Rail's ASD is a crucial step in the advancement of the NSG as the definitive dataset for the effective coordination of street works across England and Wales," said Nick Turner the NSG custodian. "Highways Authorities and Statutory Undertakers who might have been previously unaware of Network Rail's contribution to the NSG now have complete access to their asset data and links to their Outside Party Engineers. The quality and currency of the NSG has improved enormously over the last eighteen months to a point where we can justifiably say that it is fit for purpose and the best source of highway information available," said Turner.
22 April 2008
Notes to Editors
Intelligent Addressing is a specialist private sector consultancy (an SME) employing recognised experts in addressing. It was originally set up to help develop the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) on behalf of local government and now manages the NLPG and NSG central data hubs under the terms of the Mapping Services Agreement (MSA) with local government.
NSG
Required under the New Roads and Street Works Act, the National Street Gazetteer (NSG) is a comprehensive list of over 1 million named and un-named streets, footpaths and thoroughfares, the definitive source for anyone with an interest in streets and their usage. There are over 300 organisations, utilities such as gas, water and electricity, BT, plus cable and communications companies, named as âStatutory Undertakers' approved by the Department of Transport to download this data, which conforms to the BS7666 Standard. The NSG is a government initiative to create an unambiguous referencing system, using Unique Street Reference Numbers (USRNs) with which to identify any length of highway or road in England and Wales. Set up initially to improve highway maintenance, by the New Roads and Street Works Act, the NSG enables Utility companies and local councils to coordinate and know where and when to dig their holes. Under legislation each highway authority is required to create and maintain its own local street gazetteer (LSG) and additional street data (ASD), which is then compiled into one master index, the NSG, for access by others via the NSG online hub, managed by Intelligent Addressing.
Intelligent Addressing contacts:
Nick Turner, NSG Custodian
Gayle Gander, Head of Marketing | T: 0207 747 3500 | E-mail: [email protected]
www.intelligent-addressing.co.uk |
www.nlpg.org.uk |
www.thensg.org.uk
Editorial enquiries:
William Allbrook | T: 01666 826641 | F: 01666 824668
