Report to Congr'ess 11 I I I I I I I I Railroad-Highway Safety Part I: a Comprehensive Statement of The· Problem
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PB 206 792 REPORT TO CONGR'ESS 11 I I I I I I I I RAILROAD-HIGHWAY SAFETY PART I: A COMPREHENSIVE STATEMENT OF THE· PROBLEM I ; I \'" :I h. _.__ - U.s. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION -by NAnONAL TECHNICAL INFORMATlON SERVICE .. 22151 PREPARED BY THE STAFF OF THE FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION TECHNIC.t.L REPORT STANDARD TITLE PAGE . R.part No. 2. Ga....l'ftl'llM'lt A"•••ion No• 3. Rec:i pi..,'"s CatGloa No. - : _Titl. and 5_ Report Oat. RU1roCtd-E:gl!<;:ay Safety November 1971 ?art A Canprehensive S"tatement Of The 6. O,ganizatian Code A.rho,t.) 8. O,gani&eation Repon No. ?repared by the Staffs of the Federal Rail- Road Administration & Federal. Hiqhwav Ad1'ni.1!. Performing Organization N.,.. ond Adell.... 10. Work Unit No. - 11. Contract or G.o",t No. 13. T-,pe of Reoport one: Ca..,.recI SponsDring Agency N..._ .,d Ackh.... ?ederaI Administration and Report to Congress ?ederal Highway Administration ... Sponao4"ino ADeney Cod. i. Suppl..-n'ary No.... ,& l'hii report"presents Part I of the combined study effort of the ?ederal Administration and Federal Highway Admi.nistration • mdw-as submitted to the Congress in October 1971 in response :0 the Railroad Safety Act of 1970. I f:)identifies the extent and lature of the safety problem associated with railroad - highway Lntersections nationwide and to pedestrians along d.ghts-of-way • particularly within and near, urban areas. A cost- )enefit analysis is employed to present the problem in order of nagnitude.l II of the report will be submitted in July_. 1972. i.n response t:o-the Highway Safety Act of 1970• r. W",<Is • lB. Di.trilutiOli Stlltelftellt Railroad-Highway Intersections . Avai.1ability is unlimited. Copies :;rade Crossings. Pedestrian may be purchased fram the National ;afety Technical Info:cnation Service. • Va. for $3.00 a copy. 211. Security C1osaif. (of thi._) 21. No.oIP_ 22. Price 9. Secunty CI_df. {of thi. -"I , " - r_ JraI DOT F 17003 (B----..Ul REPORT lO CONGRESS RAILROAD-HIGHWAY SAFm PART I: AC8MPREHENSIVE STATEMENT OF TeE PROBLEM NOVEMBER, 1971 JlaEf>AIED 8Y' rHE srAFFOF . THE FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMlNlSilATION r THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINIS1'IA1fON u.s. DEPIIITlBT If l'RMSPEATIM - COinEiITS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY l. 1 [I. HISTORY AND TRENDS 5 Accidents and Casualties 'Financial Responsibility Jurisdictions [II. THE CURRENT PROBLHI 23 Mileage and Travel and Classification of Public Crossings Private Crossings ._ttUliDer and Severi ty of ACc1 dents Analysis • .-' .' J '. lV. lMPROVEMEiIT PR!lGRAMS - PAST AND PRESENT 37 ,Records of Past and Pl'l!sent Programs Department of Transportation Activities Conferences 'Research Projects Related to Grade Crossing Safety Crossings on. High-Speed Rail Lines Demonstration Pro',eec.,.ts Aut:'1orized bY" 1970 Acts r. T.HE DRIVER ' \ 51 Engineer-ing Education , Enforcement Coordinated Conmunity Progr<:m rI . THE WARlU!tG SYSTEM 59 Standards and Guides Existing Active Systems . i-lew Ted1nology in Active Systems Existing Passive Systems Potential Improvements to Passive Systems Location of Devices i-tai ntenance Exeupt Crossing Issue VII. THE TRAIN 77 and Audibility of Trains Approaching Railroad-H)gnway Grade Crossings Beacon-Reflector warning Device Reflectorization of Railroad Cars Impact on Trains VIII. PROTECTION 83 ,I Defini tions Statistical Procedures Scope of the Problem Statistical Trends Preventative" Measures Special Issues APPEiIDIX A-A Legal-Historicc.1 Review of "the Division of Responsibility for the Elimination and of RailroadeHighway Grade Crossings ::.xECUTIVE SU;·lHARY Problems associatecl \/ith railroad and highway traffic intersecting at grade crossings are as old as t,le transportation system. From 183J, tne birtn of the railroad industry in United States, to t:,e :Jrescnt day--141 later--ti'le llazards tilat srace cross'ings present to both and railroad users t:1e problem as a major public safety issue. Over t:le yea:"S the cOJ:JPosit'ion of tilis traffic has c:langed to motor ·travel of one trillion miles annually far exceeds rail transportation 'is million train mi 1es annually. Until recent years has not been a fully accurate count of tile of grade crossi n!is _ . HOtlever. average of one crossi ng per mile of railroad ;,as ilcld fairly constant since the peak of rail- road i"uildillg. ;)f ·tile 232.aOJ crossings' inventoried for this ;-eport. 155.0;)) are in rural areas an<:.77,OJ'J.in urban areas. About:m percent. or. 47,JVO._ ;ave As to c1assiJicatioR.. 47.000 crossings are part of t;,e Federal-a.idhigtlway anci lrri.ro1 are off'the system. Of those on 'ble system. 45 lJE!r- cent autocetic protective devices. aff t.le system. 15 percent of crossings suct protection. At tile low end cf tile volU1!1e spectnJlll. more than 70.00] crossings nave no &lOre t.'ian Oro trains per day and less tllan !IlOtor ve!licles Per day; some 4.JO'Jcrossings .lave 10 or more trains and 5.000 or more motor vehicles per day at the nigh-volume level. There.are 140.0JO private road' crossings. Tnese nave an accident rate of only 4 percent of toe puclic grade'crossing toll. ikciclent statistics cooplied siilcl!_!320 shOlrl that 86.000 persons nave Deen killed. the vast majority inmofor Annual fatalities vari2d frocJ the 1328 nigh of 2,568 to a low in 1359 of 1.203. The I:JOre S2\1ere accidents Cit public grade crossings involving trains are reported by tne railroads t.) the Railroad Ali:Iinis- . tration uncer its rules and regulations and total .about 4,OQ!) However, all train-involved grade :crosl;ing acddel1ts are reported to ·State governments by police or vers and tile total accident experi- ence involving traillS is estil!lated at about 12,000 per Yl!ar. :Iearly fatalities and 7,000 injuries result annually from these accidents. The higil ratio of fatalities ar,J injuries tile nlJll!ler of train-involved grade crossing acciGents ranks these accidents among the most severe in the·public safety area. While more train-involved accidents occur in urban areas. the higher casualty rate is in rural grade-crossing accidents. Anotner accident category is estimated 28.000 accidents . wilicil occur in the vicinity of and are directly related to the exist- ence of a out do not involye impact with or by a train. Tnese are much less severe than 'tie train-involved category and result in an 23J fatalities. ' '> . :- In addition to tile number of crossings and the a(4:ident experience. the grade crossing problem is a significant economnc issue. An economic analysis has been employed in this report to provide an order of magnitude measure of the problem; and tne results should not interpreted as a recommendation. reSults indicate that if 15.000 crossings provided with tion, accident costs would be reduced by nearly times the installation and maintenance cost of imProvement. The analysis also indicates that there would De a greater relatiye benefit in urban areas than in rura1 areas. On an individual crossins basis. it that 500 to 1,000 crossings mig:,t economically warrant grade separation, primarily on tile basis of reduced motor vehicle operating and de-iay costs.. most grade separations will probably continue to be constructed as part of a s.',ster.lS approach. In addition to higin1ay system improvements, include :Iign-speed rail lines and urban rail system improvements. Responsi b11 i ty In exercising authority over safety at railroad-highway inter- sections. oany States have by statute delegated. part or all of this autilority to State regl:lator:,v cOll1Rissions. In other States the respon- s1bility and authority to dc-ternina the location and-type of improve- ment required at a grade crossing is lodged in t.'le State higtn.,ay departments for projects located on aighways undar and for projects on other roads and streets it is lodged in local county or municipal agencies. Without a separate regulatory cOll!l1is- sian, the regulatory function is performed by the same agency performs the construction anc maintenance function on the highway. tlIe"State age'ncy perfoniting the regulatory functi.on for railroad-highway crossing after proper. notice and public nearing. determines the need for safety if any; detennines tile appropriate fype of iJrC)rovenent; determines tile agency to carry out tile wori<:; and allocates t.'le of t.'!e improvement ar.JOng parties, railroad and involved in instant proceeding. ii Railroad-highway intersection improvements are currently financed in several ways. Federal-aid highway funds may be used to assist in financing improvements at the 47.000 crossings on the Federal-aio high- way system. All crossings off the system must be financed with State. local and railroad funds, and tnese are also sometimes used to finance improvements on the Federal-aie! sy'stem. Financing by State and local . governments is usually accomplished through funds or other general funds. However, several States ilave established special cate- gories of funds to be used specifically to share in the cost of railroad- intersection improvement projects. An issue as old as the grade crossing safety problem itself is; that of financial responsibility. Historically, the division of respon- for financing the elimination and protection of railroad crossings of public streets and highways has shifted from time to time since the early beginnings of highway and railroad transportation networks. Currently, the diVision of widely from State to State and whether Federal-aid highway funds assist in financing improvement. Under current the railroad share does not exceed 10 percent of the cost of the improvement when Federal-aid high- way funds are involved. Although there is ,a variation in division of cost among the States in Ilon-Federal-aid projects, 50-50 division is often used.