# MISC | Railway Crossings



## sotavento (May 12, 2005)

High Speed Trains can "pass tru" stations at full speed if those stations are built for that ... here the Pendular pass tru at 220/228 km/h ... TGV's and others can pass stations at 300km/h ... etc etc

Speed tru level crossings is severely limited in most places ... here is as low as 140km/h (160km/h in some well protected LC) ... in the UK they even put surveilance cameras to allow safe 200km/h ... etc etc


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## L2 (Aug 19, 2008)

invincible said:


> Where tram and train lines intersect, the limit is either 15 or 30km/h, with an extremely bumpy ride. It also requires an operator in the signalbox to manually change the voltage on the overhead lines between 1500V (trains) and 600V (trams).
> 
> Back in the 1920s, there were large scale projects to eliminate these, but in the years since, these have become a lot more expensive and a lot more inconvenient. That said, there are only four or so such crossings left in the country, although waiting for the entire length of a train to pass at such a low speed is painful.


There's four left in Melbourne. I particularly like watching the Long Island steel train go over the Glenhuntly Rd crossing - even at 15km/h, you can see all those tonnes of slab steel aren't helping the track.

For those who are unfamiliar with these, here's a photo of the Gardiner one:
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=255601


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## xlchris (Jun 23, 2006)

*the Netherlands*

Train running with full speed (? km/h) through Hoofddorp train station.
Running from Schiphol to Vlissingen and Dordrecht.





A Benelux train running with about 100km/h through Hoofddorp station.





Intercity train going to Nijmegen running through Arnhem South station.





After train station Meppel you have this railway crossing.





ICE (horning) in Zevenaar.


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## xlchris (Jun 23, 2006)

Dutch Intercity train running through a train station;


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## xlchris (Jun 23, 2006)

*Amtrak*


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## JoKo65 (Feb 28, 2007)

Russia – 200 km/h through station:

http://video.mail.ru/mail/cyg-aleksej/540/538.html


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

trainrover said:


>


I happened to find myself waiting at this three-track level crossing earlier today. Between the pair of trains that plied the crossing in the same direction independently of one another, I was the only of us ten pedestrians who waited for the crossing barriers to rise, yield to roadway traffic :uh: I guess that might've been 'we four of 40' had the first train been 120 cars long instead of 30, plus the other (single-loco-single-boxcar!) train took only the further *35* seconds to arrive at the crossing.

The weather? Not overly cold, although blustery, *poor* visibility due to the heavy snowfall, altogether with slippery pavement and tracks.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

:sly:


trainrover said:


> :sly: The very same level crossing on the *autoroute* (a.k.a. the Trans Canada Highway, *freeway*, *motorway*, *controlled-
> access highway*, *maximum-100KPH-minimum-60KPH road*) featured (sorry, embedding's been disabled to each
> of the last four videos):
> 
> ...


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

:uh:


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Oops ... deleted by mistake.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

hno:


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)




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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)




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## NordikNerd (Feb 5, 2011)

Railway crossing. Branch line in Linköping, Sweden.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Interesting contraptions embedded in the roadway:


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

In light of the recent Metro North crossing accident here in New York. Is there any crossing obstruction detection systems used in Europe? And is there CCTV at most busy crossings?


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## Swede (Aug 24, 2002)

Not in Sweden afaik. I used to work a block from a very busy crossing in an old suburb here in Stockholm and there were afaik no detection systems or CCTV. Looked like the one NordikNerd posted three posts ago. 
/thankfully that crossing will be removed when that whole section is put under ground (and four-tracked).


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## BriedisUnIzlietne (Dec 16, 2012)

In Latvia most of the busiest crossings have CCTV. While others are staffed with an actual human who can have a better view and signal the driver if anything is wrong.








(the women in the hi-vis vest in the hut is the staff, obviously)


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

We have a few intersection crossings here in New Jersey.


NJT RiverLINE at Riverside by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


NJT RiverLINE at Riverside by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Riverside,+NJ&hl=en&ll=40.039041,-74.95947&spn=0.005577,0.013078&sll=40.07304,-74.724323&sspn=5.707596,13.392334&oq=riverside&t=m&hnear=Riverside,+Burlington+County,+New+Jersey&z=17&layer=c&cbll=40.038868,-74.959753&panoid=yrMzxV_ILUAqUVns6hp1kQ&cbp=12,70.52,,0,7.68


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

Some Streets come with a flashing warning sign. Its usually placed on roads with crossings that are partial obstructed either by a hill or curve...


Rainbow Crossing Warning Signal by Railboy0882, on Flickr


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

Whats the speed limit through there?


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## Coccodrillo (Sep 30, 2005)

I don't know the exact speed limit there, however the timetable of all trains* on the line between Erstfeld and Chiasso outside the Gotthard tunnel and the Biasca-Bellinzona section** is designed with a maximum speed of 80 km/h - 50 mph, so as to maximize capacity. Tilting passenger trains can be a little faster, but hardly more than 90-95 km/h (56-59 mph).

*including passenger trains, but except tilting passenger trains

**here maximum speed should be around 125 (non tilting) and 140 km/h (tilting trains), or 78-88 mph


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)




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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

*Bahnübergang Interlaken - Crossing - All In One*


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

Abit overkill with the lights...


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

*new sound - Bahnübergang Schweiz - Rikon Bü*


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## zaphod (Dec 8, 2005)

The light rail crossing INSIDE a parking garage is a bit more fascinating to me. I wouldn't have thought the law would force the architect to do that since its a private, uh, drive inside of, I dunno, a building. And its transit, not a railroad. You'd just have a stop sign or traffic light. Is a parking garage lane legally a street or is it a...hallway??

I've seen huge crossings like that before. Happens you have a wide multi lane road. Here's one I remember seeing in person on a trip. Gulfport, Mississippi area:

https://goo.gl/maps/Z3cKAyQ1UCu

No crossing arms on it. I suspect those tracks don't see much use anymore.

Also I remember in Austin, the stub end of 290 immediately crossed a set of tracks and there were humongous railroad crossing signs hanging from a normal freeway signage gantry. But in google street view they are gone now.


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

zaphod said:


> The light rail crossing INSIDE a parking garage is a bit more fascinating to me. I wouldn't have thought the law would force the architect to do that since its a private, uh, drive inside of, I dunno, a building. And its transit, not a railroad. You'd just have a stop sign or traffic light. Is a parking garage lane legally a street or is it a...hallway??
> 
> I've seen huge crossings like that before. Happens you have a wide multi lane road. Here's one I remember seeing in person on a trip. Gulfport, Mississippi area:
> 
> ...


We have a few freeway crossings but there either abandoned or lightly used...and don't have gates...


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

I guess these are considered full travel lanes...?

*LRT Blue Line Trains at the Mall of America Parkade*


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## NordikNerd (Feb 5, 2011)

Railway crossings, Linköping, Sweden Photos and Video from today.









Gelbgjutaregatan









Hagalundsvägen









Hagalundsvägen and a Y2 passing by.




The video












This railway crossing was built in conjunction with the new thoroughfare 2 years ago (?)


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## Aokromes (Jan 5, 2005)

I love Russian railway crossings to stop idiots.


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

^ We need that here in the US....


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)




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## eu01 (Oct 14, 2005)

Level crossings are similar everywhere, their users differ, though: most are wise, others behave like idiots. Here comes an example of the extreme stupidity. The same situation taken twice from different cameras situated on both sides of the same crossing.




Surprisingly, the bicycle driver did survive with some injuries (just wasn't driving fast enough to die). 

Link to this video has been originally posted on another (different language) thread of skyscrapercity.com


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## Kpc21 (Oct 3, 2008)

Are the barriers and light signals at level crossings in your countries mostly operated by a human or automatically?

In Poland some of them are operated automatically, by systems detecting an approaching train, but still, I think, most of them are manned, or operated from the signal box of the neighbouring station. And, as far as I know, we have regulations, according to which the crossings with multiple (more than 2) tracks or with the heaviest traffic must always be manned (or operated by a human from the signal box of the station).

It is quite difficult for me to understand why it is so. It's more likely for a human to make an error, than for an automatic system. And it happens that people are killed because of such errors... The automatic system can also fail, but it seems to be more reliable than a human.

I am wondering, how it is solved in other countries. Are the level crossings in your countries mostly manned or automatic?


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

Most Level crossings are automatic in North American even on historical lines...


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## MarcVD (Dec 1, 2008)

Most railway crossing in western Europe are automated. I would venture at least 95%. On 
minor lines with very infrequent traffic (i.e. one train per week or so), barriers are 
sometimes operated by the train crew itself.


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)




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## xalexey (Feb 7, 2014)

RUS


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

That first picture is Estonia not Russia..


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## xalexey (Feb 7, 2014)

Nexis said:


> That first picture is Estonia not Russia..


yes


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

*Wig Wag Railroad Crossing in Hawthorne in 4K Resolution*


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## Aokromes (Jan 5, 2005)

It sux that i must download the video to see it properly, my download speed is soo crappy.


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## BriedisUnIzlietne (Dec 16, 2012)

^^
How slow must that download speed be, if you can't get the video? Mine is twice as slow as the mobile connection on my phone lol but still manages the video.


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## Aokromes (Jan 5, 2005)

^^ 10 mbps, and it needs around 25 mbps to see the video on 4k properly (without stops to cache the video).


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## IanCleverly (Nov 24, 2010)

Slightly out of shot, but you get the picture of such a level crossing close to a station, at this one below showing Bicutan station in the Philippines.


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

*Transport Canada list of 500 'highest risk' railway crossings not widely shared*


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

Standard Traffic light & Railroad Crossing here in NJ


Crossing & Lights by Corey Best, on Flickr


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

*Skotbu planovergang 5 / Skotbu Railroad Crossing 5*


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## Aokromes (Jan 5, 2005)




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## Aokromes (Jan 5, 2005)




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## Aokromes (Jan 5, 2005)




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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

*Police Crack Down On Rail Crossing Law-Breakers*


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## Kpc21 (Oct 3, 2008)

Why is the train so slow here?

When the trains always pass this crossing with such a speed, the safety measures like the red lights seem actually to be not really necessary.

With SUCH a speed the train can stop almost immediately.

Anyway, a big plus for the local police - because breaking this law can be really dangerous.


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

Kpc21 said:


> Why is the train so slow here?
> 
> When the trains always pass this crossing with such a speed, the safety measures like the red lights seem actually to be not really necessary.
> 
> ...


Its an Industrial spur...Main Lines are often faster...


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## Kpc21 (Oct 3, 2008)

In Europe (at least in Poland), the drivers are not obliged to stop at the crossings with spurs and sidings. It's the duty of the train crew to secure its crossing the road.

In such cases, there is only such a sign:



















The cyclists are just crossing the siding. By the way, there is also a proper railway crossing ahead of them.

Siding crossing sometimes have the St. Andrew crosses: https://goo.gl/maps/hrwLKtzNJdP2 (here you can see the standard sign, move a little bit forward) - although it's rather infrequent.

Although... rarely, but siding crossings with barriers and traffic lights also exist in Poland: https://goo.gl/maps/i3pJeo7urjz


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

*Update: Clifton Level Crossing, NSW Australia.*


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## Kpc21 (Oct 3, 2008)

We know how pedestrians, cyclists and drivers are normally protected in the places where they have to cross a railway line. The best, although a costly solution is separating the traffic on two different levels. Otherwise, barriers and traffic lights are used. If the traffic is small, then only warning signs are used.

But... how to protect wild animals from the trains (and the trains from wild animals), how to make those animals conscious of the danger?

The Polish railways sometimes use such devices, which emit sounds of predators:



Richard_P said:


>


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