Citation

Eck RW, Halkias JA. Transp. Res. Rec. 1985; 1010: 94-101.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1985, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The main objective of the study was to analyze the national inventory of the U.S. Department of Transportation-Association of American Railroads and the accident files of the Federal Railroad Administration to develop measures of effectiveness for the following rail-highway grade-crossing upgrade stratifications: (a) passive systems to flashing lights on single track, (b) passive systems to gates on single and multiple track, and (c) flashing lights to gates on single and multiple track. Other objectives included determining the influence of crossing angle, train speed ratio, and train speed difference on the effectiveness of warning devices. Overall results confirmed effectiveness values developed previously (but with smaller data bases) for upgrades from passive systems to flashing lights (69 percent) and from passive systems to gates (84 percent). The only marked change from previous studies occurred in the flashing-lights-to-gates category; the effectiveness value determined in this study (72 percent) was higher than values obtained in previous work. Upgrades of warn- ing devices on single track had higher effectiveness values than those on multiple tracks. Variation in train speeds at grade crossings, as measured by the speed-ratio and speed-difference concepts, had no apparent influence on the effectiveness of warning devices. Additional detailed conclusions as well as recommendations for further study are also included in the paper.

Language: en

Keywords

HIGHWAY SYSTEMS - Accident Prevention; RAILROAD PLANT AND STRUCTURES; RAILROAD SIGNALS AND SIGNALING - Efficiency