The FRA’s goal for high-speed grade crossings is to achieve an acceptable level of grade crossing risk. Regulatory requirements for high-speed grade crossings are:

• For 110 mph or less: Grade crossings are permitted. States and railroads cooperate to determine the needed warning devices, including passive crossbucks, flashing lights, two quadrant gates (close only 'entering' lanes of road), long gate arms, median barriers, and various combinations. Lights and/or gates are activated by circuits wired to the track (track circuits).

• For 110-125 mph: FRA permits crossings only if an "impenetrable barrier" blocks highway traffic when train approaches.

• Above 125 mph, no crossings will be permitted.

Strategies to reduce risk at high-speed grade crossings range from eliminating crossings whenever possible to the use of advanced train control systems that provide constant warning time to motorists and use warning systems to assure crossings are clear of obstacles after gates or barriers are in place. The use of impenetrable barriers is a topic of research that has a number of advantages and disadvantages:

• Advantages : Barriers limit risk to passengers and employees on high speed trains; wireless communication may reduce installation costs; obstacle detection systems enable the train to stop if the crossing is bocked.

• Disadvantages : Barriers must close well in advance of train arrival to confirm crossing is clear and permit train to stop if necessary; mechanical systems will be costly and must be maintained; barriers may damage motorists’ vehicles who ignore the warnings.
  

Advanced train control systems are another area of research. These systems will monitor and communicate train locations and speeds and will stop the train if the crossing is not clear. Four quadrant gates (that block all highway lanes) reduce risk significantly with existing technology. Movable barriers will protect crossings that cannot be closed. A comprehensive risk-reduction strategy will be applied based on risk estimation models which consider actual traffic on highway as well as estimating the actual risks to both highway vehicle and train occupants.

DEMONSTRATION SYSTEMS

Michigan ITCS Demonstration : includes upgrade of 57 public grade crossings to provide constant warning time and improved or eliminated 21 private grade crossings. System linking crossings to locomotives via the positive train control system has been in daily revenue service operation since April 2001.

North Carolina’s Sealed Corridor : The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) developed a very creative approach, called the Sealed Corridor Initiative, which applies innovative, low cost techniques to significantly reduce or eliminate incidents of highway vehicles bypassing crossing gates, thereby virtually eliminating grade crossing incidents. All grade crossings on the Raleigh to Charlotte high-speed corridor, approximately one per mile, were surveyed and the most appropriate, cost-effective techniques to mitigate and/or eliminate risk at each crossing are being installed. For example, placing plastic poles along the highway centerline creates a cost-effective median barrier that reduced gate running by almost 80 percent. Other treatments include using longer crossing gate arms, video monitoring and ticketing, and four-quadrant gates to close all lanes of the road. NCDOT plans to treat or close every crossing (210 public and 47 private) along the 174-mile right-of-way between Raleigh and Charlotte, NC under the Sealed Corridor Initiative.

Monitoring motorist violations has been conducted to document the effectiveness of these alternative crossing warning devices. The methodology has been documented and made available for use on other corridors. As requested by Congress, FRA and NCDOT have published the North Carolina "Sealed Corridor" Phase I U.S. DOT Assessment Report , summarizing the effectiveness of the improvements made to the first 52 crossings in the form of lives saved. The results show that at least five lives have been saved through 2001. This accident reduction is sustainable over time, so many additional lives will be saved in the future. The State is continuing to close and improve crossings and the Private Crossing Initiative will examine, close or treat all 47 private crossings in the corridor.

Further information about the Sealed Corridor and North Carolina's efforts can be found on the State's web page www.bytrain.org .

Other innovative concepts are being sought for integrated demonstration and assessment for efficacy on revenue corridors through the National Academy of Sciences Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (IDEA) Program and through broad agency announcements (BAA).