COMMUTERS have this week expressed concern surrounding the imminent long-term closure of the footbridge over the level crossing at Farnham station. The footbridge, which will close for repairs from March 19 to April 29, allows passengers to cross the tracks when the barriers are down. Without it, some fear that those in a rush may jump the barriers, taking their lives in their hands. One commuter, who wished to remain nameless said: "I think there will be a lot of people jumping over the barrier when trains are coming, especially drunken idiots at night. "When I'm at the station in the morning the barriers come down at 7-52 am, but the train doesn't leave until 7-58 am. That's six minutes when people coming on foot from the other side of the station will panic and then miss their train as there is no other way across." Another commuter commented: "People do some quite desperate things when they're rushing for a train because nobody wants to be late for work. This is an accident waiting to happen." South West Trains has apologised for the works but stresses that the barriers are not down for long periods of time. A spokesman said: "The barriers go down when there's a train approaching, but not for long. People would miss their train if they ran for it after they came down. "We apologise to passengers for the inconvenience but the work is essential."
