Level crossings
We can reduce risk and harm around level crossings by focusing on closures, upgrades, new technologies and improvements.
Level crossings are sited where roads and paths cross the railway. These bring pedestrians and motorists into a shared space with trains, so the potential for collisions between users and trains is ever present. As such, level crossings account for about 6% of the total mainline system risk.
In 2022/23 there were five fatalities at level crossings. Four pedestrians were struck by trains while using footpath crossings; one incident involved a motorcyclist, also at a footpath level crossing. There were also five road vehicle collisions at level crossings, the highest figure since 2019/20.
Lifestyle changes brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, such as working from home and increases in dog ownership, impact level crossing risk and seem to have ‘stuck’ around. Since the pandemic, we have seen a rise in the number of near misses with pedestrians at level crossings. To help reduce the risk, Network Rail has launched a new campaign, Distraction Kills, which warns of the dangers of distractions when on or near level crossings.
In the last year, RAIB published its investigation into the collision with a tractor at Kisby user worked level crossing, which occurred in August 2021. This accident has similarities to the Hixon accident of 1968, which led to improved signage at level crossings, reminding us of the importance of corporate memory. RSSB published Issue 5 of the level crossing digest, which provides a means of maintaining this corporate memory by documenting and sharing the lessons learnt after previous accidents and incidents.