Electronic Surveillance of Railroad-Highway Crossings for Collision Avoidance: State of the Practice (2024)
Chapter: Front Matter
 TCRP |
Transit Cooperative |
Electronic Surveillance of Railroad-Highway
Crossings for Collision Avoidance
STATE OF THE PRACTICE
TCRP OVERSIGHT AND PROJECT SELECTION COMMISSION*
CHAIR
Jeanne Krieg
Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority (retired)
VICE CHAIR
Jameson Auten
Lane Transit District
SECRETARY/TREASURER
Ryan I. Daniel
St. Cloud Metro Bus
IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR
Doran J. Barnes
Foothill Transit
MEMBERS
Andrea Burnside
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Julia Castillo
Heart of Iowa Transit Authority
April Chan
San Mateo County Transit District
Desmond Cole
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
Carolyn Flowers
InfraStrategies LLC
David Harris
New Mexico Department of Transportation
Tim Healy
Sound Transit
Brendon Hemily
Hemily and Associates
Vince Huerta
East Texas Council of Governments
Joseph Leader
HDR
Benjamin Limmer
Connecticut Department of Transportation
Bacarra Mauldin
Memphis Area Transit Authority
Jessica Mefford-Miller
Valley Metro
Raymond Melleady
USSC Group
Brad Miller
Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA)
Elizabeth Presutti
Charlotte Area Transit System
Catherine Rinaldi
MTA Metro North Railroad, NY
Jeffrey Rosenberg
Amalgamated Transit Union
Justin Stuehrenberg
Madison Metro Transit
Frank White, III
Kansas City Area Transportation Authority
Kimberly J. Williams
Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County
Nigel H.M. Wilson
MIT
EX OFFICIO MEMBERS
Victoria Sheehan
TRB
Paul P. Skoutelas
APTA
Jim Tymon
AASHTO
Veronica Vanterpool
FTA
Kristin White
FHWA
TOPS COMMISSION STAFF ADVISOR
Arthur L. Guzzetti
APTA
SECRETARY
Monique R. Evans
TRB
__________________
* Membership as of November 2024.
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2024 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE*
OFFICERS
CHAIR: Carol A. Lewis, Professor, Transportation Studies, Texas Southern University, Houston
VICE CHAIR: Leslie S. Richards, General Manager, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), Philadelphia
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Victoria Sheehan, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC
MEMBERS
Michael F. Ableson, CEO, Arrival Automotive–North America, Detroit, MI
James F. Albaugh, President and CEO, The Boeing Company (retired), Scottsdale, AZ
Carlos M. Braceras, Executive Director, Utah Department of Transportation, Salt Lake City
Douglas C. Ceva, Vice President, Customer Lead Solutions, Prologis, Inc., Jupiter, FL
Nancy Daubenberger, Commissioner of Transportation, Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul
Marie Therese Dominguez, Commissioner, New York State Department of Transportation, Albany
Garrett Eucalitto, Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Transportation, Newington
Chris T. Hendrickson, Hamerschlag University Professor of Engineering Emeritus, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Randell Iwasaki, President and CEO, Iwasaki Consulting Services, Walnut Creek, CA
Ashby Johnson, Executive Director, Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), Austin, TX
Joel M. Jundt, Secretary of Transportation, South Dakota Department of Transportation, Pierre
Hani S. Mahmassani, W.A. Patterson Distinguished Chair in Transportation; Director, Transportation Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Scott C. Marler, Director, Iowa Department of Transportation, Ames
Ricardo Martinez, Adjunct Professor of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Decatur, GA
Michael R. McClellan, Vice President, Strategic Planning, Norfolk Southern Corporation, Atlanta, GA
Russell McMurry, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Transportation, Atlanta
Craig E. Philip, Research Professor and Director, VECTOR, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
Steward T.A. Pickett, Distinguished Senior Scientist, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY
Susan A. Shaheen, Professor and Co-director, Transportation Sustainability Research Center, University of California, Berkeley
Marc Williams, Executive Director, Texas Department of Transportation, Austin
EX OFFICIO MEMBERS
Michael R. Berube, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Sustainable Transportation, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC
Amit Bose, Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, Washington, DC
Tristan Brown, Deputy Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Steven Cliff, Executive Officer, California Air Resources Board, Sacramento
Rand Ghayad, Senior Vice President, Association of American Railroads, Washington, DC
LeRoy Gishi, Chief, Division of Transportation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, Germantown, MD
Robert C. Hampshire, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Jason Kelly, Deputy Commanding General for Civil Works and Emergency Operations, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC
Zahra “Niloo” Parvinashtiani, Engineer, Mobility Consultant Solutions, Iteris Inc., Fairfax, VA, and Chair, TRB Young Members Coordinating Council
Ann Phillips (Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy, retired), Maritime Administrator, Maritime Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Sophie Shulman, Deputy Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, DC
Karl Simon, Director, Transportation and Climate Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC
Paul P. Skoutelas, President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC
Polly Trottenberg, Deputy Secretary of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Jim Tymon, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, DC
Veronica Vanterpool, Acting Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Washington, DC
Michael Whitaker, Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Kristin White, Acting Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Vinn White, Deputy Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Washington, DC
___________________
* Membership as of November 2024.
TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
TCRP SYNTHESIS 177
Electronic Surveillance of Railroad-Highway
Crossings for Collision Avoidance
STATE OF THE PRACTICE
A Synthesis of Transit Practice
Amiy Varma
Ashish Varma
Anurag Varma
AAAJ LLC
Fargo, ND
Subject Areas
Public Transportation • Railroads • Safety and Human Factors
Research sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration in cooperation with the American Public Transportation Association
TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
The nation’s growth and the need to meet mobility, environmental, and energy objectives place demands on public transit systems. Current systems, some of which are old and in need of upgrading, must expand service area, increase service frequency, and improve efficiency to serve these demands. Research is necessary to solve operating problems, adapt appropriate new technologies from other industries, and introduce innovations into the transit industry. The Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) serves as one of the principal means by which the transit industry can develop innovative near-term solutions to meet demands placed on it.
The need for TCRP was originally identified in TRB Special Report 213—Research for Public Transit: New Directions, published in 1987 and based on a study sponsored by the Urban Mass Transportation Administration—now the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). A report by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), Transportation 2000, also recognized the need for local, problem-solving research. TCRP, modeled after the successful National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), undertakes research and other technical activities in response to the needs of transit service providers. The scope of TCRP includes various transit research fields including planning, service configuration, equipment, facilities, operations, human resources, maintenance, policy, and administrative practices.
TCRP was established under FTA sponsorship in July 1992. Proposed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, TCRP was authorized as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). On May 13, 1992, a memorandum agreement outlining TCRP operating procedures was executed by the three cooperating organizations: FTA; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, acting through the Transportation Research Board (TRB); and APTA. APTA is responsible for forming the independent governing board, designated as the TCRP Oversight and Project Selection (TOPS) Commission.
Research problem statements for TCRP are solicited periodically but may be submitted to TRB by anyone at any time. It is the responsibility of the TOPS Commission to formulate the research program by identifying the highest priority projects. As part of the evaluation, the TOPS Commission defines funding levels and expected products.
Once selected, each project is assigned to an expert panel appointed by TRB. The panels prepare project statements (requests for proposals), select contractors, and provide technical guidance and counsel throughout the life of the project. The process for developing research problem statements and selecting research agencies has been used by TRB in managing cooperative research programs since 1962. As in other TRB activities, TCRP project panels serve voluntarily without compensation.
Because research cannot have the desired effect if products fail to reach the intended audience, special emphasis is placed on disseminating TCRP results to the intended users of the research: transit agencies, service providers, and suppliers. TRB provides a series of research reports, syntheses of transit practice, and other supporting material developed by TCRP research. APTA will arrange for workshops, training aids, field visits, and other activities to ensure that results are implemented by urban and rural transit industry practitioners.
TCRP provides a forum where transit agencies can cooperatively address common operational problems. TCRP results support and complement other ongoing transit research and training programs.
TCRP SYNTHESIS 177
Project J-07, Topic SA-59
ISSN 1073-4880
ISBN 978-0-309-73029-7
Digital Object Identifier: 10.17226/28291
© 2024 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the graphical logo are trademarks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein.
Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, APTA, FAA, FHWA, FTA, GHSA, or NHTSA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP.
Cover image description: Pedestrian trespasser at light rail grade crossing.
Cover image credit: Asim Zaman, Rutgers University
NOTICE
The report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; or the program sponsors.
The Transportation Research Board does not develop, issue, or publish standards or specifications. The Transportation Research Board manages applied research projects which provide the scientific foundation that may be used by Transportation Research Board sponsors, industry associations, or other organizations as the basis for revised practices, procedures, or specifications.
The Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; and the sponsors of the Transit Cooperative Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names or logos appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of the report.
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TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
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Learn more about the Transportation Research Board at www.TRB.org.
COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS
CRP STAFF FOR TCRP SYNTHESIS 177
Monique R. Evans, Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Waseem Dekelbab, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Gwen Chisholm Smith, Manager, Transit Cooperative Research Program
Jamaal Schoby, Senior Program Officer
Oulimata Khoule, Senior Program Assistant
Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications
Heather DiAngelis, Associate Director of Publications
TCRP PROJECT J-07 PANEL
Rachel Dungca, Metro Transit, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minneapolis, MN (Chair)
Jameson Auten, Lane Transit District, Eugene, OR
Mallory Avis, Battle Creek Transit, Battle Creek, MI
Raymond Chan, Arcadis IBI Group, Kettering, OH
Roderick B. Diaz, Southern California Regional Rail Authority, Los Angeles, CA
Mark Donaghy, Petersburg, KY
Christian T. Kent, Christian T. Kent, Transit Management Consulting, LLC, Virginia Beach, VA
Beverly Neff, San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, San Diego, CA
Ed F. Watt, WattADR, Rockaway Park, NY
David C. Wilcock, VHB, Boston, MA
Robert Earl Williams, Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, Ann Arbor, MI
Tara Echols, FTA Liaison
Arthur L. Guzzetti, APTA Liaison
Billy Terry, National Transit Institute Liaison
TOPIC SA-59 PANEL
Melvin Clark, Hatch, Round Rock, TX
Tamekia Graham, National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Elkridge, MD
Amin Keramati, Widener University, New York, NY
Richard Scott, BNSF Railway, Minneapolis, MN
Justin R. Vonashek, MTA Metro North Railroad, New York, NY
Jeffery E. Warner, Texas A&M Transportation Institute, College Station, TX
David C. Wilcock, VHB, Boston, MA
Kurt Wilkinson, ADS Systems Safety LLC, Washougal, WA
ABOUT THE TCRP SYNTHESIS PROGRAM
Transit administrators, engineers, and researchers often face problems for which information already exists, either in documented form or as undocumented experience and practice. This information may be fragmented, scattered, and unevaluated. As a consequence, full knowledge of what has been learned about a problem may not be brought to bear on its solution. Costly research findings may go unused, valuable experience may be overlooked, and due consideration may not be given to recommended practices for solving or alleviating the problem.
There is information on nearly every subject of concern to the transit industry. Much of it derives from research or from the work of practitioners faced with problems in their day-to-day work. To provide a systematic means for assembling and evaluating such useful information and to make it available to the entire transit community, the Transit Cooperative Research Program Oversight and Project Selection (TOPS) Commission authorized the Transportation Research Board to undertake a continuing study. This study, TCRP Project J-07, “Synthesis of Information Related to Transit Practices,” searches out and synthesizes useful knowledge from all available sources and prepares concise, documented reports on specific topics. Reports from this endeavor constitute a TCRP report series, Synthesis of Transit Practice.
This synthesis series reports on current knowledge and practice, in a compact format, without the detailed directions usually found in handbooks or design manuals. Each report in the series provides a compendium of the best knowledge available on those measures found to be the most successful in resolving specific problems.
FOREWORD
By Jamaal Schoby
Staff Officer
Transportation Research Board
While the highway-rail grade crossing collision rate has fallen steadily since 1980, the rate has become stagnant. Opportunities remain to further improve grade crossing safety through a mix of engineering, education, and enforcement of applicable traffic laws. Electronic surveillance through rail crossing cameras has been increasingly employed to monitor grade crossings. Information gained from analysis of the surveillance data can then enhance engineering, education, and enforcement efforts.
The objective of this study is to document public transit agencies’ current practices and lessons learned from rail service providers and others regarding the types, nature, implementations, successes, and failures of rail crossing electronic surveillance programs, particularly related to safety. First, a literature review was conducted on rail crossing operations, safety, and security to include documenting the emerging trends and future potentials for electronic surveillance of rail crossings. Then, using themes identified in the literature review, a survey was administered to 21 rail transit and commuter rail agencies to understand and document how agencies are addressing electronic surveillance for collision avoidance at railroad-highway crossings. Last, case examples were conducted for eight of the agencies to highlight implementation and application of surveillance technology. This synthesis concludes with summarizing the findings and identifying areas for further study.
Amiy Varma, Ashish Varma, and Anurag Varma with AAAJ LLC collected and synthesized the information and wrote the report. The members of the topic panel are acknowledged on page iv. This synthesis is an immediately useful document that records the practices that were acceptable within the limitations of the knowledge available at the time of its preparation. As progress in research and practice continues, new knowledge will be added to that now at hand.
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CONTENTS
Rail Crossing Operation, Safety, and Security
Applications and Implementation of Technologies
Emerging Opportunities and Technologies
Reasons for Using Electronic Surveillance
Barriers, Challenges, and Constraints
Lessons Learned for the Future
Case 2: Rutgers (System Based on Pilot Programs Supported by FTA Grant)
Case 4: Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Light Rail Transit)
Case 5: Metro-North Commuter Railroad (Commuter Rail)
Case 6: TRAX (Light Rail Transit) and Frontrunner (Commuter Rail)
Case 7: TriMet (Light Rail Transit)
