A 14-year-old cyclist was killed when he was hit by a train on a level crossing in Mas-Saintes-Puelles near Castelnaudary, Aude. Witness reports say that the youth proceeded to cross the railway when the active level crossing was prohibited to road traffic. The accident occurred during the early evening of May 29th, 2010. For reasons unknown the victim did not respond to the train horn which was utilised when it became apparent to the train driver that the youth was intent on crossing the railway.

Worthing, United Kingdom: Non-suspicious death on level crossing

A man was killed when the was struck by a train on the CCTV equipped Worthing level crossing which is located on South Farm Road. The fatality which occurred during the evening of May 27th, 2010 has been deemed non-suspicious by British Transport Police. However, witness have been sought to validate that this is in fact the case.

Norwich, United Kingdom: Coroner confirms intentional death

The jury at the Coroner’s Inquest into the death of a man on the automatic half-barrier level crossing in Tivetshall, Norfolk on January 11th, 2010 (LXinfo February 2010) returned a verdict of suicide, The inquest held on May 28th, heard that the man who died was guilt ridden in relation to an extra-marital affair and that he had talked previously of ending his life.

A road closure to enable a level crossing to be tested is causing heartache for a plant nursery normally accessed via the crossing. The routine testing of the crossing has been arranged by Network Rail, the national rail infrastructure manager, for Sunday May 30th, 2010, which is perhaps the busiest day for the nursery. Questions have been asked why it is necessary to close the road when it is obvious that the nursery will be adversely affected. However, despite the questions being asked, it appears that Network Rail is intent on completing the testing as planned.

There is hope that the annual testing in 2010 can be arranged at another time rather than across the late May bank holiday when many people stock up on their summer bedding plants. However, this hope is somewhat limited as the Barnsdale Eagle automatic half-barrier level crossing has been tested over the bank holiday weekend for the last three years with significant adverse impact on the nursery, even though it can still be accessed via a diversionary route. Is Network Rail up for changing the date for 2011?

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is concerned at the increasing incidence of level crossing abuse at the Sea Road level crossing in Castlerock, near Coleraine. Incidents on May 18th and 20th, 2010 saw motorists driving across the railway when the barriers were lowering, several seconds after the yellow warning transitioned to red.

The Neighbourhood Constable makes clear that running the red lights and zig-zagging around level crossing barriers are recklessly dangerous for both the occupants of road vehicles and trains.

This view has been endorsed by Translink, operator of Northern Ireland’s railways which has made clear that it has a policy of prosecuting all detected level crossing abuse.

Many of those who continue to abuse Northern Ireland’s level crossings appear ignorant of the fact that an increasing number of level crossings in the province are equipped with CCTV and that prosecution is, as a result, all the more likely.

A loaded fuel tanker was hit by a passenger train on the barrier equipped Via Santo Spirito level crossing in Bari. The accident which injured 37 occurred on May 24th, 2010. Witness reports say that the truck attempted to cross as the gates were lowering but was unable to clear the railway right of way. The severity of the collision was mitigated by the train driver making an emergency brake application when he saw that the tanker was straddling the railway.

Of the 37 train occupants injured in the collision, one sustained serious injuries. The force of the collision ruptured the tanker leading to its cargo of fuel oil contaminating the railway. The Police are investigating the accident to determine if the tanker driver was criminally negligent.

Ukraine: Awareness campaign follows fatal accidents

With 44 incidents at level crossings in the first months of 2010 an awareness raising campaign to target level crossing abuse began on May 25th and will run to June 15th, 2010. Given this it is particularly unfortunate that there were three fatalities as a result of a collision between a train and a car two days before the awareness raising campaign began.

The latest in a string of fatal accidents at level crossings across the Ukraine occurred on May 23rd, 2010, at an active open level crossing near Kharkov. The cause of the accident at a crossing where it has been concluded that the level crossing controls operated correctly has been attributed to the motorist failing to respond to the stop aspect exhibited by the level crossing warning devices.

Another fatal accident occurred in the small hours of May 7th, 2010 when a train hit a car on a level crossing near Kachkanar in Ukraine’s Sverdlovsk Region. It has been determined that the warning lights at the level crossing were operating correctly and were disregarded with fatal consequences for two of the passengers travelling in the car. Th car driver, who survived the accident, overtook a truck waiting at the level crossing before entering the crossing on the wrong side of the road.

The campaign to raise awareness of the rules for the safe use of level crossings has an important enforcement component. The intention is to seek imposition of the maximum permitted sanctions on all those observed who breach the law as it relates to level crossings. Sanctions in play are heavy fines, a driving ban of up to two years or community service.

(May 25th, 2010)

Police have issued a call for witnesses to come forward to assist with their investigation of a serious accident on the Altmarkstraße level crossing in the Ortsteil Bienrode district of Braunschweig. The collision between a regional passenger train and a car on May 24th, 2010, left both car occupants with critical injuries.

A failed passenger train straddled a level crossing in Melveren near Saint-Trond for nearly two hours during the evening of May 23rd, 2010. Although passengers could have been de-trained at the level crossing, a decision was taken to keep them on-board the train even though the air conditioning system was inoperable because no power was available. Motorists were faced with an ad-hoc diversionary route all evening long.

(May 24th, 2010)

Telciu, Romania: Road traffic accident on level crossing

A motorist and two of his passengers sustained minor injuries when the car in which they were travelling was in collision with the vehicle in front on the level crossing on highway C17 in Teciu. The accident, which has been attributed to “tailgating”, occurred at lunchtime on May 24th, 2010, was cleared before any disruption to train services occurred.

Plans to eliminate the barrier equipped Hildesheimer Straße level crossing in Vechelde, Landkreis Piene, are at a standstill after a near €1m increase in costs emerged from what is now a €3.2m project. The Vechelde town council which was to have contributed €0.21m towards the cost of the highway underpass has said that it isn’t in a position to increase its contribution. The contribution of the Landesbehörde für Straßenbau (national roads authority) is capped at 65% of the project costs. To see if a way forward can be found, a meeting of stakeholders is to be convened on May 31st, 2010.

Resolution of the impasse is urgent as it is currently planned to go out to tender for the construction of the underpass next month. One viewpoint is that more talking will not solve anything and that the community should take legal action to force through the construction of the underpass with any funding gap a matter for the state and federal rather than community purse
 

Arad, Romania: German national killed in collision on crossing

An elderly German motorist was killed when the van in which he was travelling was struck by a train running between Arad and Cirtici. The collion occurred on an active level crossing equipped with lights and audible warning devices. A number of vehicles were already at a stand because the level crossing alarms had activated when the van driver attempted to cross the railway. The accident occurred in the small hours of May 21st, 2010.

Lisbon, Portugal: REFER announces modernisation of Cascais line

REFER, Portugal’s national rail infrastructure manager has announced that the project to modernise the line from Lisbon to Cascais will include the elimination of all remaining level crossings on this important rail corridor.

British Transport Police (BTP and Network Rail joined forces under the “Don’t Run the Risk” banner to target errant motorists who abuse level crossings in North Kent. The principal focus of the exercise was the barrier equipped crossing on Ingham Road, Gillingham, with action aiming to reach motorists who also use level crossings in Aylesford and on the Isle of Grain where there is also road user abuse.

Offences which led to the exercise included zig-zagging around barriers (four cases), driving across when barriers are closing (eight cases) and colliding with level crossing barriers as they were closing or were already closed (four cases).

Supporting Network Rail, BTP spoke to motorists on May 20th, 2010, asking them “would it kill you to wait?”, the campaign strap-line being used by BTP across the country. The next phase of the action in North Kent will be in Rainham on June 14th, 2010.

Nowy Dwor Mazowiecki, Poland: Contracts signed for overpasses

PKP, Poland’s national railway system operator has signed contracts with a consortium led by TORPOL to construct two overpasses in Nowy Dwor Mazowiecki. This contract is a component of a wider project to upgrade the Warszawa – Gdynia rail corridor. The existing lPaderewskiego and Leśnej level crossings will be eliminated when the replacement road-over-rail bridges have been completed in a year’s time.

Aarhus, Denmark: City centre crossing under investigation

Following an accident which injured a cyclist, Banestyrelsen, Denmark’s national rail infrastructure manager has begun a review of the safety arrangements at the Skibbrogade level crossing. This level crossing is immediately adjacent to Skolebakken which parallels the railway. The Skibbrogade level crossing is notorious among train drivers who regularly witness pedestrians and cyclists crossing when the level crossing is supposedly closed to all road traffic.

In the latest incident at the Skibbrogade level crossing on May 24th, 2010, a middle-aged cyclist narrowly avoided serious or fatal injures when his bicycle was struck by a train. The cyclist had stopped inside the lowered level crossing barrier; however, his bicycle was within the envelope occupied by the passing train.

The cyclist only sustained minor physical injuries with a potentially longer lasting impact on the train driver who had thought that his train had struck the cyclist with fatal consequences. Train operator DSB anticipates that it will be two weeks before the train driver who is receiving counselling returns to work.

Thessaloniki, Greece: Collision with a car claims two lives

A motorist and his passenger died when the car in which they were travelling was struck by a train on an active barrier equipped level crossing near Thessaloniki. The accident occurred on a level crossing in New Magnesia during the evening of May 18th, 2010. It has been confirmed that the level crossing controls were functioning correctly at the time of the accident.

Lianokladi, Greece: Crossing keeper didn’t close barriers in time

A collision between a loaded truck and a train on a level crossing in Lianokladi during the afternoon of May 19th, 2010 damaged both train and truck. As for injuries they were fortunately not severe. The accident occurred on the level crossing adjacent to the Lianokladi railway station from which the train was departing. Fortunately the train was travelling slowly at the time of the accident.

Reports suggest that the truck had begun to cross the railway while the road over the railway remained open. Railway sources have said that the level crossing keeper had correctly been instructed to lower the level crossing barriers. But, for reasons that have yet to be established, the crossing keeper did not lower them as required with the result being a slow speed collision between the departing train and the truck,

Morley, United Kingdom: Teenager dies trying to save her dog

A 16-year-old died on a footpath level crossing in Morley, West Yorkshire when she sought to retrieve her dog. The accident which occurred in the evening of May 16th, 2010 has led to vigorous representations that the level crossing was unsafe. In particular friends of the deceased and of her family are arguing that the level crossing should be equipped with active controls, specifically lights which indicate when it is safe to cross the busy two-track railway. In response Network Rail, Britain’s national rail infrastructure manager has said that it was satisfied that the level crossing in question met safety standards.

This accident highlights yet again the particular risk factors which arise when pedestrians cross the railway with their dogs, particularly when the dog is off the lead. The high regard that dog owners have for their pets influences their behaviour when dogs stray on the railway and reduces the focus they have on looking out for themselves on passive level crossings.

The incidence of fatalities and near miss incidents involving dogs is sufficient that greater efforts need to be made to raise dog owners’ awareness of these risks and the steps they should take to ensure their safety and that of their dog, which in the latest accident survived her owner’s death.

Spain: Differential tariff for motoring offences to be eliminated

An initiative is underway to harmonise the penalties for motoring offences, including those applicable for infractions of the law at level crossings. To date, municipalities have been free to set their own tariffs up to a level of €300.

By way of example Gijon has been levying a fine of €300 whereas Oviedo has been using a €150 sanction. Now a three stage tariff has been implemented with minor offences justifying a €100 fine, €200 for serious infractions and €500 for very serious offences.

It is a moot point whether failure to stop as required at a level crossing should be seen as a minor offence in Spain with a tariff of €100 or whether it should be seen as an offence meriting a higher financial sanction. With the €100 sanction applying for this offence the effect of harmonisation is to increase the harmonisation has, for example seen an increase from €98 in Gijon and a reduction from €120 hitherto applying in Oviedo.

The cameras installed at the Callerton Parkway level crossing on the Tyne and Wear Metro system captured red light running of the worst kind and the ensuing near miss. As a result a trip to the magistrate’s court proved expensive for the motorist who ignored the red lights.

Prosecutions for both driving without due care and attention and failing to stop for the red flashing lights which had been on for 25 seconds wee successful resulting in fines of GB£600, court costs of GB£30 and a victim surcharge of GB£15 as well as four penalty points on his drivers licence for offences committed in September 2009

(May 11th, 2010)

Lagny-le-Sec, France: New photo-enforcement camera on trial

A new photo-enforcement camera system is on trial at a level crossing in Lagny-le-Sec, Oise. The trial which began on May 10th, 2010 is to change motorist behaviours as much as trap them for breaking the law at level crossings.

The pilot application, which will run for six months, is of a radar based system that activates when the crossing warning sequence initiates and remains active so long as the lights continue to exhibit flashing red signals. The presence of any motor vehicle on the crossing after the closure sequence is initiated is captured digitally and the se images can be used as evidence to prove the crossing was not used in accordance with road traffic law.

(May 10th, 2010)

ADIF, Spain’s national rail infrastructure manager, has plans to eliminate the level crossing in the Iria Flavia district of Padrón have raised objections. The municipality has expressed concerns that the proposed underpass will cause the archeologically significant remains of the Roman settlement of Iria Flavia will be disturbed. Further objections have been raised because of concerns that the underpass, in an area with a history of flooding will flood. Balancing these concerns is the wish of the community to see the risks to motorists and pedestrians at the level crossing addressed. As might be expected, the next step is further discussion between the interested parties.

Too often the punishments for level crossing offences handed down by magistrates are seen as little more than a slap on the wrist. This was not the case when Market Drayton magistrates heard the case of a motorist who overtook a car which had stopped at the Wem, Shropshire, level crossing and continued against the flashing red lights before crossing the railway as the barriers were lowering.

In this case the magistrates sitting on May 5th, 2010, handed down a sentence of a 12 month driving ban and a financial penalty of GB£1,575 for an offence of dangerous driving. Despite there being images from the crossing’s CCTV system, the motorist had pleaded not guilty to the charge of dangerous driving on September 23rd, 2009. The GB£1,575 financial penalty was made up of a GB£960 fine, GB£600 court costs and a further GB£15 victim surcharge.

The Wem level crossing has a significant history of abuse and as a result the crossing has been the focus of a concerted campaign by Network Rail working in conjunction with British Transport Police to raise awareness of the risks of running red lights and dodging lowering level crossing barriers (LXinfo September, 2009).

San Giovanni di Baiano, Italy: Unannounced closure splits community

Unilateral action to close a level crossing in San Giovanni di Baiano has split the community in two. The first that was known of the elimination of the level crossing was the arrival on site of workers from the national rail infrastructure manager on May 6th, 2010. Now that access to the crossing has been blocked off citizens are discovering that the nearest viable alternative adds 2.1 km each way to a journey to neighbourhood businesses on the “wrong side of the tracks”.

The nearest alternative route across the railway is by way of an underpass with a height of 1.7m which is much used by pedestrians. There are concerns that the height limitation and level of pedestrian use make this route across the railway wholly unsuitable.

Plans to eliminate the Cela level crossing and two others in Cambre, near La Coruna have led for calls for highway improvements on the alternative routes being completed before the crossings are abolished. As such the plans proposed by ADIF, Spain’s national rail infrastructure manager, are stalled without the approval of the local authority. In particular, the municipality considers that there is a need to make adequate provision for pedestrians in the parish of Cela who are faced with a walk along an unlit road without a dedicated pedestrian walkway.

Rightly, arguments have been put forward that while railway safety can be improved by eliminating level crossings, it cannot be achieved by increasing the risk to pedestrians who are forced to use a more hazardous route.

Nuland, Netherlands: Fatal collision remains unexplained

How and why a motorist drove onto the Kerkstraat level crossing in Nuland is less likely to be explained because the car driver died from the injuries sustained in the collision. The accident occurred during the morning of May 6th, 2010.

Deputy West Sussex Coroner, Dr David Skipp, has called for a review of safety arrangements at level crossings in Crawley. The call to Network Rail, Britain’s national rail infrastructure manager, follows three deaths in quick succession at the town’s Brighton and Horsham Road level crossings.

The call came at the end of an inquest considering the three level crossing fatalities which returned two verdicts of accidental death and one of suicide.

Network Rail maintains that both the Brighton and Horsham Road level crossings are safe, although the Coroner highlighted the ease with which the railway could be accessed, particularly at the crossing on Brighton Road.

The recent closure of level crossing 123, Breuil, Albi, Tarn continues to excite local residents who are campaigning for it to reopen. Presently, there is no sign that RFF, the French national rail infrastructure manager, will have a change of heart that allows pedestrians and cyclists to resume the route over the railway that see as being their right. The strength of feeling is such that residents have held a demonstration at the site of the erstwhile level crossing to reinforce their call for action.

The protestors are pursuing their case through the Prefecture and with RFF, which has agreed to meet the Prefecture to discuss the issues behind the closure of level crossing 123. At the moment, the aggrieved are only interested in the convenience of there being a level crossing without any apparent consideration of the underlying safety concerns that sit behind this crossing closure.

A 75-year-old wheelchair-bound man became trapped in the flange-way gap at a level crossing in. Fortunately a 72-year-old friend was on-hand to free his friend and get him clear of the level crossing before the imminent arrival of a train.

The incident occurred at an automatic half-barrier equipped level crossing in Wies, Bezirk Deutschlandsberg, which activated for an approaching train while the wheelchair was still trapped in the flange-way gap and as another pensioner moved in to free his friend. The time available for this was increased because the train driver saw that the crossing was obstructed and made an emergency brake application.

There is concern within the community that none of the other younger witnesses to the unfolding incident went to the aid of the wheelchair occupant, who had been dragged from his chair by his rescuer, sooner than they did. Subsequently, one of the younger witnesses did intervene and pull the now empty wheelchair clear of the track.

Havant, United Kingdom: Minor railway installs new crossing

The Hayling Seaside Railway, a tourist miniature railway, is installing a new level crossing at the request of Havant Borough Council to enable relocation of access to the Eastoke Corner car park. This shift of access follows the granting of planning permission for the redevelopment of leisure facilities. The new level crossing is being constructed by volunteers, with the Borough Council responsible for the highway approaches to the crossing.

A late night encounter with a train had fatal consequences for a pedestrian who was on the Polígono de Argales level crossing when a train arrived. Why the man took the risk of crossing when he did is not known and is unlikely to be established as it seems the train driver was unaware that his train had hit someone and no witnesses to the accident have come forward. The body was found at about 01.00 on May 5th, 2010.

Gyor, Hungary: Slovak motorist dies in collision on

An early morning collision with a car driven by a Slovakian resulted in the death of the motorist and suspension of train services between Gyor and Komárom. The train service was suspended for several hours on May 4th, 2010, with passengers consigned to busses between Gyor and Komárom.

Brest, France: Road accident puts motorist and rail users at risk

A road accident ended up on the railway at a level crossing near Brest, Finistère. The road accident occurred at lunchtime on May 3rd, 2010, at the Kerscao level crossing in Relecq-Kerhuon. For reasons, which have still to be established, the motorist lost control of the car which then rolled before ending up on its roof across the level crossing. The motorist was trapped in the car and had to be released by the fire and rescue service.

No trains were involved in the incident which was relatively benign as a perturbation in the train service meant that the train which should have passed over the level crossing immediately after the road accident was running some 15 minutes late.

Hagenow, Germany: Second train kills one, seriously injures another

A man from Lithuania was killed when he and his girl friend, who was seriously injured and airlifted to hospital in Schwerin, ignored the lowered level crossing barriers and crossed behind a stationary train into the path of a second which was hidden from view behind the first train. The accident occurred at the Hagenow railway station level crossing Mecklenburg-Vorpommern May 2nd, 2010.