Authors: Grade Crossing Safety Task Force

Date of Publication:  March 1996

Sponsoring Agency:  U.S. Department of Transportation

Performing Organization:  U.S. Department of Transportation

Report No:

Abstract:

The principal finding of this report by the U.S. Department of Transportation Grade Crossing Safety Task Force (Action Plan)(Task Force) is consistent with, and fully supports, that of the Rail-Highway Crossing Safety Action Plan announced by Secretary of Transportation Federico Pena in 1994 - that is, improved highway-rail grade crossing safety depends upon better cooperation, communication, and education among responsible parties if accidents and fatalities are to be reduced significantly.

This report explains how a lack of information and/or guidelines in the design, construction, operation, maintenance, and inspection of grade crossings led the Task Force to identify five safety problem areas for detailed examination - Interconnected Signals, Vehicle Storage Space, High-Profile Crossings, Light Rail Transit Crossings, and Special Vehicle Operations.

The five problem areas are described in the context of current practices using information drawn from technical studies, public outreach, and professional sources.  As in the Action Plan, the crosscutting issues of funding, enforcement, coordination, information, standards, and education permeate the discussion.

The report recommends 24 specific follow-on actions to address both physical and procedural deficiencies.  In practice, the responsibility for public grade crossings resides with State and local governments, railroad, and transit agencies.  Recognizing the constrained budgets that are available to the private sector and State and local authorities, the report emphasizes rethinking existing practices - not requiring new ones from a regulatory approach.  This reliance on existing opportunities is emphasized by recommendations that encourage grade crossing safety through coordinated inspections, law enforcement, and driver education.

To implement these recommendations, the Task Force has identified immediate steps that the Department will take to work with our constituents in defining a cooperative strategy for improving grade crossing safety.  At the Federal level, the U.S. Department of Transportation will continue to work with organizations such as the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, the Association of American Railroads, and the Institute of Transportation Engineers to develop standards and guidelines for best practices that identify highway-rail crossing problems and endorse a coordinated approach to their resolution.

In the Action Plan, Secretary Pena set forth a goal of reducing crossing accidents and fatalities by 50% within 10 years.  The Task Force believes that implementing the recommendations set forth in this report will help the Nation meet that goal.
 

No. of Pages:  29