Level crossing

A level crossing (also called a grade crossing, a railway crossing, or a railroad crossing) is a place where a railway line and a road meet each other on the same level. This means that the grades (the road and the track) are not separated by using a bridge or a tunnel. Usually, there are signs indicating the crossing. There may also be barriers/gates that go down before a train passes.

Depending on how much traffic there is, there are different measures to make the crossing more secure:

• Signs or panels, indicating the crossing
• Blinking or steady lights
• Sounds (usually a warning bell)
• Gates/barriers that are lowered before a train passes

Since level crossings are dangerous (there are many accidents), they are usually reworked into grade separated crossings when there is more traffic, or high speed trains.

Images

• 
  Unsecured crossing indicated by a sign. This local railway line is in rural Germany, in the Taunus mountains.
• 
  Level crossing with blinking lights
• 
  Level crossing with steady lights
• 
  Lights, and gates/barriers
• 
  Sometimes there are people for traffic control.
• 
  Level crossing with half-barriers, flashing lights, and a bell
• 
  A full barrier level crossing in St Bees, Cumbria, that is controlled by the adjacent signal box

Related pages

• Billups Neon Crossing Signal