Railway infrastructure company ProRail is to begin placing concrete blocks at dangerous unmanned level crossings because consultation processes are taking too long, chief executive Pier Eringa told the Telegraaf in an interview.

The move will seize a march on ‘bureaucracy and weak wills’ the state-owned company boss told the paper. He said he could not understand why locals continues to object to measures to close off dangerous crossings to traffic.

‘In some cases, the discussions are endless,’ he said. ‘If there is another accident, we don’t want to be blamed for not taking action.’ ProRail plans to close 120 crossings, whether or not the consultation process has been concluded.

The Telegraaf says the first to be closed is likely to be an unmanned crossing near the village of Lunteren in Gelderland, which is just 100 metres from a manned level crossing. The owner of the land is still protesting about plans to close it.

Earlier this year the Dutch safety board slammed the ‘unacceptable’ way an average of 11 people are killed in accidents on railway level crossings every year.

It said the fragmented approach and lack of focus at the infrastructure ministry are stalling efforts to improve safety at crossings.