Why do railroad crossings remain closed for so long? Rules for driving across railway tracks

August 17th, 2016

Railroad crossings at the same level as roads have long been a serious problem and one of the most painful road issues for motorists. Unfortunately, no one in the country has systematically dealt with this issue and is not dealing with it. In the article, Probok.net analyzes the issue and offers its own methods of solution.

What is the problem?

1. Thousands of railway crossings across the country create huge traffic jams
There are many reasons for this. Due to the terrible condition of most crossings, the speed of movement is no more than 5-10 km/h; at higher speeds, broken crossings simply kill the suspension. On main railway tracks, due to the high intensity of train traffic, the barrier is closed most of the time. Also, due to the peculiarities of the signaling system, the barriers do not open immediately after the train passes. And finally, the passage of railway tracks, with extremely rare exceptions, is carried out in 1 lane in each direction!

2. Traffic safety problems


Every year, up to 100 people die in traffic accidents at crossings, and hundreds are injured. Reason: a significant part of the crossings are not equipped with traffic lights, barriers and UZP (devices blocking the crossing). Equipping a controlled crossing with a barrier and UPS reduces the risk of accidents at the crossing by 15-20 times: in 2010, only 4 accidents (1.5%) occurred at equipped crossings, and 256 accidents (98.5%) occurred at unequipped crossings. As of 2010, only 2352 (21%) are equipped with barriers and SPDs, 8896 (79%) are not equipped. However, no systematic work is being carried out in this direction: 20-30 crossings are equipped with barriers and UPS per year, at this rate of work for another 200 years.

3. JSC Russian Railways has closed more than 4,000 railway crossings in 15 years!
In 1995, there were 15,397 crossings on the country's railways, and in 2010 there were only 11,248 of them. Only in 211 out of 4,149 cases was the closure of the crossing due to the construction of an overpass at different levels. Result: if in 1995 the average distance between crossings was 5 km, in 2010 it was 8 km, and in Siberia and the Far East it was 20–30 km or more. Of course, the load on the remaining crossings and their wear and tear has increased significantly.

4. Uncertain responsibility for the condition of crossings
The railway tracks themselves, the asphalt between them and 10 meters from the edge of the tracks belong not to the road workers, but to the owner of the tracks and must be maintained and repaired by him. But there is no unified register of crossings and their owners; It is not known where to go for repairs in each case. As a result, road workers, in response to requests from citizens, either have to respond with unsubscribes (“the crossing is not ours, we can’t repair it ourselves, we don’t know whose it is”), or in acute cases, repair the crossing themselves, actually out of altruism and using funds in an inappropriate manner.

5. There are no effective measures to force owners to repair


Even if the owner of the crossing is known, it is extremely difficult to force him to repair the tracks. It would seem that the traffic police has the right to massively apply Article 12.34 of the Code of Administrative Offenses (fine up to 300 thousand rubles) to the owners of crossings, forcing them to be kept in standard condition. However, in accordance with the clarification of the Supreme Court, the railway crossing area is not considered a roadway, therefore the traffic police cannot apply this fine, but is forced to contact the prosecutor's office. Needless to say, the prosecutor’s office is completely uninterested in such cases. Thus, the procedure for forcing owners to repair crossings has not been worked out and is used extremely rarely manually and according to an individual procedure.

6. Requirements for the state of crossings are vague and soft
The main regulatory document SP 119.13330.2012 “1520 mm gauge railways. Updated edition of SNiP 32-01-95 "allows a deviation in road level from the rails at crossings where traffic is "temporarily permitted" (i.e., in fact at all) up to 20 mm at a speed of up to 15 km/h, up to 10 mm at a speed 15-25 km/h, up to 6 mm at speeds over 25 km/h. Thus, railway workers who do not want to repair the crossing simply need to put up a “10 km/h” sign instead of carrying out repairs.

What is the reason for such a careless approach by the authorities to relocations?
The fact is that in federal regulatory documents almost all railway crossings in general are considered temporary and subject to liquidation! SP 119.13330.2012 generally prescribes replacing almost all crossings with overpasses and actually prohibits the creation of new ones and the reconstruction of existing ones. All current crossings exist “on a bird’s license”, which is clearly visible in the wording:
9.1 Intersections of new lines and access roads with other railway lines and access roads, tram, trolleybus lines, main city streets and high-speed city roads, as well as with roads of all categories must be arranged at different levels. Transfers can be arranged on one level at stations and in populated areas intended for the passage of fire engines and emergency vehicles, normally closed for public use subject to compliance with safety and visibility requirements in accordance with SP 34.13330.
When modernizing existing railways, existing level crossings are subject to reconstruction and replacement with overpasses or are closed, with the diversion of roads to the passage through combined artificial structures on the railway.
Temporary storage road crossings at one level on existing railway lines and access roads permitted with the permission of the railway administration, in agreement with local authorities for the period before work on the modernization of the railway.
It is strictly prohibited to permanently maintain existing road crossings. on railways with organized passenger traffic or if the traffic intensity in certain periods of the year may exceed 50 trains per day.

And Order of the Ministry of Transport No. 46 of March 26, 2009 “On the Procedure for opening and closing intersections of railway tracks with roads (railway crossings)” leaves railroad workers the right of veto, which they almost always use.

Who pushed all this through and why? Obviously, a powerful railway lobby was at work here, which perceived and will continue to perceive all crossings as a burden. The very idea of ​​​​turning all crossings into overpasses is, of course, beautiful; it can even be presented as a concern for the safety and convenience of people. But it is completely out of touch with the reality and economic capabilities of the country! Judge for yourself: there are more than 11 thousand crossings in the country on roads of all levels, including about 1000 in the Moscow region. The average cost of one overpass is 2 billion rubles. So the construction of 11 thousand overpasses instead of crossings throughout the country will cost a fantastic amount 22 trillion (!) rubles at current prices, including 2 trillion. in the Moscow region. At the current rate of funding - and barely 100 billion rubles a year are allocated from the budgets of all levels in the country for these purposes - it will take as many as 200 (two hundred) years to solve the problem!

The findings are disappointing. The owners of the crossings, the railway workers, are well settled: they remain anonymous and do not care about them, and almost no one bothers them (neither the traffic police, nor road workers, nor other supervisory authorities, nor residents). Some crossings are completely ownerless, there are no owners, although there are railway users. You can't do anything with them either. According to the standards lobbied by railway workers, no one “owes anything to anyone”: reconstruction of old crossings is not allowed, and the opening of new crossings is actually prohibited. There are almost no investments in the safety of crossings - after all, they are considered temporary. In general, there is no systematic and comprehensive approach to relocations at the state level.

Solutions
Of course, it is necessary to increase the construction of overpasses instead of crossings at one level, spending not 100, but 300-500 billion rubles a year on this. But while the issue of financing has not been resolved, we must honestly admit to ourselves that no more than 50-60 such overpasses can be built throughout the country per year. And if we want to solve the problem of several thousand problematic crossings not in 200 years, but at least in 10-15, intensive work needs to be carried out in at least 5 more areas now.

1. Ensure that existing crossings are properly maintained by their owners so that the surface allows them to be passed at a speed of at least 30-50 km/h instead of 5-10.

2. Improve the crossing signaling so that the barrier opens within 2-3 seconds after the last car has passed.

3. Restore crossings that were closed in the 90s and 2000s. Promptly open new crossings where necessary to reduce overruns, create transport connections and relieve congestion at neighboring crossings.


4. Increase the number of crossings where there are serious traffic difficulties in ensuring passage, from 1 to 2-3 lanes in each direction (depending on the intensity of traffic on the road network and railway).

5. Equip unregulated crossings with traffic lights, barriers and UZP to improve traffic safety.

What needs to be done in each direction?
1. Proper maintenance of existing crossings
Components of the problem:
- Anonymity of owners, unknown contacts to officials and residents
- Unknown standards for the deviation of rails from the road surface
- Uncertainty of the procedure for forcing owners to properly maintain

Solution:
1. Conduct an inventory of all railway crossings in the Moscow region, collecting data on the owners of each of them. This applies to regional, federal, and local roads.
2. Place the obtained data, including contacts of the owner organizations, on the map, giving access to it to everyone.
3. Describe and illustrate the regulatory requirements for the regulatory state of crossings and place them on the indicated map.
4. Prescribe the most effective procedure for influencing railway track owners (including contacts of supervisory agencies - traffic police, prosecutor's office, etc., sequence of appeals, links to legal norms, etc.). Recommend this procedure to residents, the Dobrodel portal, the traffic police, and all road workers.

Expected Result:
The collected data can be effectively used to force railway track owners to perform proper maintenance. In particular:
- In responses to citizens from road workers, it will be possible to indicate the real owners and culprits of the poor condition, and forward the appeals to them.
- Residents will be able to contact the owner directly or write to supervisory authorities (traffic police, prosecutor's office) in case of lack of response.
- The data can be transferred to the administration of the Dobrodel portal for direct influence on the owners of crossings and, again, for referral to the traffic police and the prosecutor's office.
- The traffic police and the prosecutor's office will be able to immediately issue orders and fines to the owners of crossings, without wasting time on clarifying ownership rights.
- Road workers will understand with whom to communicate to synchronize work (for example, during major road repairs).
- Identified ownerless crossings are subject to either liquidation (but with the dismantling of the rails, not the asphalt!), or, if someone needs the rails, certification and inclusion on the balance sheet of the railway track user.

2. Opening the barrier immediately after the train passes
Components of the problem:
- Current standards and practices of Russian Railways do not take into account the interests of trackless transport
- Outdated technical solutions for signaling
- Investments are needed to improve signaling

Solution:
- Adjust the regulatory documentation, specifying the need and admissibility of opening crossings immediately after the passage of a train.
- Develop, test and certify technical solutions that ensure rapid opening of the barrier after the train passes
- Provide funds for the reconstruction of the signaling to ensure the rapid opening of the barrier after the passage of the train

Expected Result:
- The capacity of existing crossings will increase by 3-10%.

3. Restoration of old and opening of new popular crossings
Components of the problem:
- Current standards and practices of Russian Railways practically do not allow the opening of new crossings, but only close them
- If the decision is made, it will be necessary to provide access roads at the expense of road workers (coordinate road workers and railway workers)
- Identify the most promising opening locations

Solution:
- Conduct consultations at the level of the Moscow Region Government with Russian Railways on the need to open new crossings.
- Collect information from road workers and residents about the most relevant crossing locations.
- Adjust the regulatory documentation, specifying the need and admissibility of opening crossings.
- Provide funds for the construction of crossings (Russian Railways) and arrangement of approaches to them (road workers)

Expected Result:
- Existing crossings will be relieved, and the connectivity of the road network will increase.

4. Increasing the number of rows at crossings (from 2-lane to multi-lane)
Components of the problem:
- Current regulations and practices of Russian Railways do not allow the opening of multi-lane crossings
- If the decision is made, it is necessary to reconstruct the access roads at the expense of road workers (coordinate road workers and railway workers)
- It is necessary to analyze and identify the most promising places for reconstruction with an increase in row rows

Solution:
- Conduct consultations at the level of the Moscow Region Government with Russian Railways on the need to reconstruct crossings.
- Analyze existing experience.
- Collect information from road workers and residents about the most problematic crossings. Select priority ones for the experiment.
- Adjust the regulatory documentation, specifying the need and admissibility of opening and reconstructing multi-lane crossings.
- Provide funds for the reconstruction of crossings (Russian Railways) and the development of approaches to them (road workers)

Expected Result:
- Many transport problems at crossings can be solved without the construction of overpasses for 2 billion, with an investment of 30-50 million.

5. Equip emergency crossings with traffic lights, UZP and barriers
Components of the problem:
- Lack of a federal program to improve crossing safety, insignificant efforts of Russian Railways
- It is necessary to set priorities, starting with crossings - hotbeds of accidents

Solution:
- It is necessary to order the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation to JSC Russian Railways to expand the program for reconstructing crossings to improve safety from 20-30 to 200-300 units. per year, starting with the most emergency ones.
- Receive and transmit to Russian Railways the data of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate of the Russian Federation at the addresses of the most dangerous crossings - hotbeds of accidents that require priority equipment with UZP and barriers.
- Inclusion by the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation of measures for equipping crossings with UZP and barriers in the Federal Target Program “Road Safety 2013-2020.”

Expected Result:
- Up to 100 human lives will be saved per year. Also, thanks to the reduction in the number of accidents on the tracks, the economic losses of the railway and other traffic participants from disruption of schedules and blocking of crossings will be reduced.

Who should we turn to?
Since the issue of moving is large-scale and concerns the entire country, Probok.net will submit it for consideration by the Russian Ministry of Transport. We will ask the Ministry of Transport to gather road workers, Russian Railways and the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate for a meeting, and there they will make a decision with deadlines and responsibilities. And of course, allocate money for this work.

Support through the Public Council under the Ministry of Transport of the Moscow Region was promised by the head of the Council L.M. Lipsitz (by the way, he suggested the idea of ​​multi-lane crossings). I hope that the proposals will be supported by both the Ministry of Transport and the Main Directorate of Road Facilities of the Moscow Region, because the problem with crossings in the Moscow region is one of the most acute.

30/06/2015

Railway crossings are mysterious transport objects. It is impossible to predict exactly when they will close and when they will open. High-speed trains block traffic especially for a long time: the barrier sometimes drops 20–30 minutes before the passage of the Sapsan or Allegro.

N It’s clear: why do this? An even bigger mystery: why does the barrier not rise immediately after the Allegro passage, but sometimes after 5-7 minutes?

The problem of crossings again became acutely relevant recently, when Russian Railways announced a decision to double the number of Sapsan trains from August 1. The intention of the railway workers: if Russian Railways implements the decision, then crossings only in the Kolpinsky district will be closed to cars for up to 17 hours a day. Perhaps because of popular anger, or maybe something else, the doubling of Russian Railways’ Sapsan fleet has slowed down for now.
However, there is still a problem: motorists stand at crossings, allowing high-speed trains to pass for 30-40 minutes. And in the Leningrad region, the life of many villages was subordinated to the railway schedule.

Several years ago, when Allegro was just launched, residents of the Vyborg district of the Leningrad region (the villages of Kharitonovo, Yashino, Kravtsovo, Usadishche, etc.) fiercely opposed it.

The railway barrier, allowing Allegro through, blocked the only road through these villages for a long time. Children were late for school, adults were late for work, and ambulances could not get to the sick. Residents demanded to build overpasses or cancel Allegro. They wrote to Putin, organized rallies. The overpasses have not been built since then, Allegro has not been cancelled, but the problem, according to residents, has “resolved.”

As the administration of the Seleznevskoye Rural Settlement (which includes these villages) told City 812, the railway crossing is no longer closed for a long time because of Allegro.
- Previously, we stood for half an hour, but now this is not the case. In about ten minutes, literally, they lower the barrier: the train has passed - and immediately raise it, - shared an administration employee.

It all depends on who is on duty at the station and when the order is given to the crossing duty officers. They have departmental instructions that the crossing must be closed half an hour before Allegro. But sometimes they meet the drivers halfway and lower the barrier a little later - 10-15 minutes before the high-speed train passes. This is a matter of personal responsibility for the person on duty. I can only speculate how this happens. How long it takes to close and open the barrier - there is no specific timing. Each time the time is different. It all depends on the time of day, on the number of cars. Once I stood for ten minutes after the passage of “Allegro,” said Andrei Evdokimov, deputy of the Seleznevsky rural settlement.

According to the villagers, it turns out that the work of the railway crossing can be regulated “at the local level”: if there is a strong rally, the railway workers will open the crossings faster.

How does moving actually work? What determines their opening and closing times? And why does the barrier remain closed for several minutes after the train has passed? The press service of the Oktyabrskaya Railway addressed these questions to City 812.

At first they answered us verbally. But the answer did not bring clarity.

This cannot happen: when we want, then we close! There's automation. A signal is sent from the transportation control center that a train is coming. This is a whole big system. In front of the high-speed train, in my opinion, the crossing closes 15 minutes before. It cannot be that it is supposed to close in front of it in 15 minutes, but they close it in 20. Either another train was passing there, or shunting work is underway, or track work. Everything is for a reason. There are safety standards. Regulations. For high-speed trains there are different standards, for freight trains there are different ones, and so on,” the press service explained a little confusingly, and then they offered to send an official request.

In the request, we asked to indicate the same standards: how many minutes before the passage of freight (passenger, high-speed) trains should crossings be closed? And when should they open?

The official response from the Russian Railways also did not clear the fog.
- Railroad crossings operate automatically. They open and close when a train approaches the approaching section. The closing time of the crossing is determined by the speed of the approaching train, as well as the track profile on this particular section. The exception is high-speed rolling stock. When passing the Sapsan and Allegro trains, the crossing is closed automatically in at least 10 minutes. The opening also occurs automatically immediately after the train clears the train section. The crossing officer (or other railway employee) cannot change the opening or closing times of crossings. However, in the event of an emergency situation, such as, for example, a car stuck at a crossing, the crossing officer can open the crossing to remove the obstacle from the track. Actions in such an emergency are strictly regulated. Information about the presence of objects that threaten traffic safety is communicated to the duty officer at the nearest station, as well as to the driver of the train approaching the crossing.

Railway workers deny that the barrier can remain closed if the train has long passed. The situation was explained by the vice-rector of the University of Transport and Communications, Igor Kiselev. According to him, this happens if the moving work is poorly organized.

Each move must be considered specifically. Our Russian-made automation works there. So-called track circuits: a train, passing along a stretch, closes the track circuit with its wheel pairs, and this is a signal that the train is approaching. After the train passes, it releases the track circuit and the crossing should open immediately. If it doesn’t open right away, you need to fine-tune the specific device,” explains Igor Kiselev.

According to him, the crossing is closed long before “Allegro” or “Sapsan” for safety reasons.

So that there is time to maneuver if an emergency occurs at the crossing. Simply put, the crossing is closed for the distance the train travels before it comes to a complete stop,” he says.

According to Kiselev, the best solution to the problem of crossings will be their elimination.
“We need to build overpasses,” he says. .

Alexander-23

For violation of Article 12.10, paragraph 1, all together a fine and deprivation or at the discretion of the inspector

12.10 part 1

administrative fine in the amount of one thousand rubles or deprivation of the right to drive vehicles for a period of three to six months.

Those. either a fine or imprisonment.

Cases are being considered:

Traffic police - if a fine

Court - if a fine or deprivation.

Hello. In my opinion, the “Rules for the passage of railway crossings” lacks a warning traffic light about the inclusion of a prohibitory signal, as at intersections. In the absence of such a signal, the traffic police uses this and in case of heavy traffic through the crossing there will definitely be an extreme one.

Another prohibitory signal will do nothing. In addition, there is a person on duty at every crossing with a barrier. The traffic rules prohibit leaving for crossings, but not driving along crossings. The only thing the inspector can refer to is the presence of a congestion. Then it’s better not to leave ahead of time for the move.

15.3. It is prohibited to travel:

When the barrier is closed or starting to close (regardless of the traffic light signal);

When there is a prohibiting traffic light signal (regardless of the position and presence of the barrier);

When there is a prohibitory signal from the person on duty at the crossing (the person on duty faces the driver with his chest or back with a baton, red lantern or flag raised above his head, or with his arms extended to the side);

If there is a traffic jam behind the crossing that forces the driver to stop at the crossing:

If a train (locomotive, handcar) is approaching the crossing within sight.

Hello! And, flashing - the “white” (on the non-regulated) path is clear? Are we observing sign 2.5 “No stopping without stopping”? ...Thank you!

Yuri, Hello.

Paragraph 6.9 of the traffic rules:

6.9. A round white moon flashing signal located at a railway crossing, allows movement vehicles through the crossing. When the flashing white-lunar and red signals are turned off, movement is permitted if there is no train (locomotive, handcar) approaching the crossing within sight.

Paragraph 6.15 of the traffic rules:

6.15. Drivers and pedestrians must comply with the signals and orders of the traffic controller, even if they contradict traffic light signals, road signs or markings.

If the meanings of traffic lights contradict the requirements of priority road signs, drivers must follow traffic lights.

In this case, you may not comply with the requirements of the priority sign.

Good luck on the roads!

The barrier is open prohibiting signal no food last in the stream moved the first path to the second path 5-8 meters did not have time to get there the barrier begins to fall and after 5-10 seconds the recumbent doors rise naturally I stop the traffic cop says that he is wrong 12.10 p1 they just slammed the cage, there will be no fine write out on the spot immediately to court have not violated the rules before

Igor, if you have a DVR recording, then you have a good chance of challenging the decision of the traffic police officer.

Nikolay-49

Is there a time limit for turning off the prohibiting traffic light signal after opening the barrier and lowering the barriers? Usually it turns off immediately, but sometimes there is a delay of 2-3 seconds and in this case the traffic police officers have an excellent opportunity to pump up inattentive drivers. I was convinced from my own experience.

The prohibitory traffic light signal is switched off after the last barrier is raised. Sometimes one of the barriers rises earlier and until the second one rises completely, there will be a prohibiting signal at the first traffic light. This is what misleads drivers and “attracts” IDPS.

Anatoly-40

I drove up to the crossing, stopped at the stop sign, looked around, moved off, crossed the crossing, drove about 30 meters, heard a warning signal, saw a flashing traffic light in the rearview mirror, 20 meters later the traffic police jumped out from the parallel street, stopped me and began to verbally present to me that, I drove through a red light, in response to my request to provide me with evidence of my traffic violation, they answered me that they were not obliged to provide me with evidence and drew up a protocol. I refused to sign the protocol, in the explanation I wrote that I did not violate the traffic rules, and the inspector refused to show me evidence of my wrongdoing.