Development of Evaluation Tools for Road-Rail Crossing Consideration for Grade Separation

Abstract

A program for expansion of Israeli railways has resulted in increased train speeds and frequencies on the most heavily used railway lines. These are situated in highly populated regions and are characterized by a significant amount of at-grade road-rail crossings. At-grade crossings present a barrier to road traffic and the danger of train-vehicle collisions. Because the current maximum train speed is about 120 km/hr, there was no clear policy concerning the need and the priority for grade separation at crossings. Simplified tools for rapid crossing evaluation when a crossing potential for grade separation is reviewed were developed. The evaluation tools include a criterion for preliminary crossing qualification and a formula for approximate evaluation of economic losses caused by at-grade crossing functioning. The field measurements and detailed investigation of the 31 most problematic locations provided a basis for building the tools. Two main factors leading to grade separation were considered: safety problems at the crossings and road vehicle delay costs. As demonstrated, the cost of accident risk at Israeli crossings does not significantly affect their ranking for grade separation. In consequence, the crossing parameters influence vehicle delays that constitute the basis for the simplified tools for preliminary crossing evaluation in Israel.