Terrified Kathleen Holland was left stranded in the path of a train after being trapped between the barriers at Highams Park level crossing.

The frightened woman was then verbally abused by a WAGN driver who stopped his train to shout and call her stupid for being on the wrong side of the gates.

Mrs Holland, 57, of Hale End Road, Highams Park, put one foot on the crossing when the warning alarm was sounded at 2.43pm last Thursday, but she thought she would have time to get safely to the other side.

However, the barriers started descending just seconds later, leaving her trapped in the middle.

A Railtrack worker in the signal box shouted to her but she could not hear him, and she was left bewildered about where to stand to avoid being hit by the oncoming train.

"The signalman was too far away for me to hear him," she said. "He didn't seem to have a clue how to handle the situation.

"He'd obviously had no training on what to do in the event of this happening.

"A huge crowd gathered and everyone was shouting different things at me. It was bewildering, I didn't know what to do."

The signalman eventually left his post and told Mrs Holland where to stand.

By this time the train was approaching, and the driver stopped and personally reprimanded Mrs Holland for being on the track.

She said: "The train driver got out and shouted at me, calling me all sorts. He said I was a stupid woman.

"By this time I was really, really shaking.

"I've been using that crossing for 30 years and I know how long it normally takes to cross but that time seems to be getting shorter and it's not enough for elderly people or mums with toddlers.

"I am really disgusted with the way the railway men handled the situation.

"The signalman should have known what to do, but he didn't even seem to care. And being shouted at by the driver was the last thing I needed."

A Railtrack spokeswoman said the signalman warned the train driver there was a woman on the wrong side of the barriers, and that he allowed the train to proceed at a walking pace as he felt the woman was not in any danger.

She said staff had full training on what to do in such circumstances.

The crossing is automatically controlled from Liverpool Street station, and Railtrack said the timings had not changed.

It takes nine seconds after the amber light goes on until the barriers start to lower, and a further ten seconds until they are down, which the spokesman said was "ample".

A spokesman for WAGN said: "The train driver was informed of a person being stuck between the barriers, so early on he was told to follow procedure to slow right down, and all those procedures were followed.

"This is when he said something to this person. We apologise for what he said and obviously we don't condone behaviour of this sort."

July 12, 2002 10:00