An analysis of level crossing safety performance data available on the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Office of Safety Analysis to October 31st, 2011, shows fatalities to be running at essentially the same level as was the case for the same period in 2010.

Looking at the longer-term picture, the analysis shows that reported accidents were at the second lowest on record, with 1,614 accidents generating 221 fatalities, also the second lowest on record. However the 851 injuries recorded were the highest number since 2007.

(January 5th, 2012)

Idaho’s Operation Lifesaver team has announced that it is continuing to partner with railways and Idaho State Police to address misuse of level crossings. Officer on a Train is an initiative to the fore as it is seen as effective in both identifying misuse and apprehending those seen to have abused level crossings.
The latest one day Officer on a Train initiative led to ten motorists receiving citations as trains ran between Meridian to Boise and Nampa to Weiser. For those cited for failing to stop at a red signal protecting a level crossing can expect a fine of USD 85.
The Officer on a Train programme is credited with contributing to reduce the number of level crossing accidents in Idaho from 89 when the programme began in the 1990’s to 16 in 2010.

(December 30th, 2011)

Police are investigating the circumstances leading to an unoccupied vehicle being on a level crossing in West Chicago.

The collision which occurred on the Roosevelt Road level crossing at approximately 05.30 on December 29th, 2011, is believed to have occurred as a result of the vehicle having stopped at the crossing as required by the active controls before being pushed into the path of the train by another vehicle which failed to stop short of standing traffic. The motorist then evacuated his vehicle and moved to a place of safety.

(December 29th, 2011)

Alcohol is suspected as a causal factor in the death of a pedestrian on a level crossing in Calgary. Police reports make clear that the man stepped into the path of the C-Train shortly before 20.00 on December 28th, 2011, despite the lights and audible alarms functioning and the barriers being in the lowered position.

(December 29th, 2011)

The community of Scales Mound in North-West Illinois, is bisected by a railway which in recent years has seen more trains and longer trains. This wouldn’t be a particularly significant issue if trains were running through without stopping. However, Scales Mount is is the only location at which trains can pass each other between Galena and Freeport.

This, and the sheer length of trains needing to pass each other brings the community to a stand. Indeed, there are reports of very long delays to road traffic arising as the result of one of the trains running late. The greatest concern relates to the time taken by emergency service vehicles faced with either an indeterminate wait or diversion adding between 10 and 15 minutes to the response time in order to avoid the blocked level crossing.

Unsurprisingly, the community wants to see changes to the way in which the railway is operated.

(December 28th, 2011)

The City of Tyler closed the North Border Avenue level crossing of the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) on December 21st, 2011 as it moves to implement the works precedent to a quiet zone can be approved.

This closure it part of the quiet zone project approved by the City Council on October 27th, 2010 which will also see the level crossing of the UP right-of-way on Claude Street closed. In addition, the level crossing equipment recovered from the North Border Avenue level crossing will be re-used at the North Palace Avenue level crossing which currently is not equipped with barriers.

(December 21st, 2011)

The general view is that the increased use that Canadian National (CN) is making of the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railroad (EJ&E) since acquisition of it was completed in 2009 means that the Route 34 / Ogden Avenue intersection with the EJ&E must be grade-separated. However, the impact of the construction project on the community that today uses the Route 34 corridor and those who live or work in the vicinity of the construction site will be significant. Indeed, some go as far as to say that they anticipate hell over a three-year construction period.

Concerns over the necessary evil that is the Route 34 grade-separation were discussed at a public hearing convened by the Illinois Department of Transportation to consider CN’s plans for the Ogden Avenue level crossing. In addition to some concerns regarding the design of the new road-over-rail bridge, there was significant discussion of the impact of the necessary road traffic diversions, including the impact on the extended journey time faced by emergency services using the alternative McCoy Drive route across the CN right-of-way.

(December 8th, 2011)

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) is to audit Canadian National’s (CN) Co.'s progress in maintaining and upgrading the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern (EJ&E) railway it purchased in 2009 (LXinfo January 2009). The audit was agreed to during the process leading to the federal STB approving the acquisition.

In a statement, the STB says that the audit will focus on the information in CN's operational reports for the months of November and December 2011, and on CN's fourth-quarter 2011 environmental report. The audit will include an evaluation of CN's progress in delivering level crossing improvements and related road closures.

A previous STB audit found that CN had under-reported the number of delays at level crossings along the EJ&E right-of-way. As a result of under-reporting CN was fined USD 0.25 million by the STB.

(December 7th 2011)

With a project duration of only eleven months, the new highway underpass on Avenida Monroe at the intersection with the Mitre railway opened to traffic on December 2nd, 2011. The underpass is already easing congestion and will contribute to improving safety at the road-rail interface. The improved connectivity between the Coghlan, Villa Urquiza and Belgrano neighbourhoods is widely welcomed.

The new grade-separation has iinvolved construction of a 128 metre-long tunnel under the railway and a further 200 metres of approach roads. The vertical clearance available to road traffic is 4.2 metres. The underpass has a pedestrian walkway running alongside a two-lane highway. In addition a new pedestrian access to the Coghlan railway station has been provided. Now that construction of the Avenida Monroe underpass is complete, the temporary level crossings on Calle Plaza has been closed while that on Calle Melián has been retained pending completion of the Olazabal grade-separation project.

The Avenida Monroe grade separation is the seventh to be completed within the on-going Programa de Conectividad Vial del Plan de Movilidad Sustentable (Road Connectivity and Sustainable Mobility Plan) of the City Council. The grade-separations already completed are at the intersection of Sarmiento with the Belgrao Norte railway; Bonorino and the Belgrano Sur railway; Punta Arenas and Mosconi with the Urquiza railway; and,  Dorrego and Soler with the San Martín railway.

(December 5th, 2011)