REPORT INTERNATIONAL LEVEL CROSSING SAFETY STUDY TOUR

REPORT INTERNATIONAL LEVEL CROSSING SAFETY STUDY TOUR

INTERNATIONAL LEVEL CROSSING SAFETY STUDY TOUR REPORT The Study Tour provided a unique opportunity to experience the best that the USA and UK have to offer and bring these learnings home. TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.............................................................. 2 BACKGROUND....................................................................... 2 KEY LEARNINGS/RECOMMENDATIONS.......................................... 3 TECHNOLOGIES..................................................................... 4 Wayside Horn System Four Quadrant Gate System Automatic Level Crossings Pedestrian Active Warning Sign Mobile Safety Vehicle and Red Light Safety Enforcement Cameras Lower cost level crossing safety developments CONCLUSIONS...................................................................... 8 ANNEX A............................................................................ 10 International Level Crossing Safety Study Tour Delegate List International Level Crossing Safety Study Tour Group Photo ANNEX B............................................................................ 12 International Level Crossing Safety Study Tour Meeting Itinerary 1

INTERNATIONAL LEVEL CROSSING SAFETY STUDY TOUR REPORT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Improving safety at level crossings is one of the TrackSAFE Foundation s primary focuses. As such, TrackSAFE led an International Level Crossing Safety Study Tour (Study Tour) to the USA and UK, 20 30 March 2017, to gain an understanding of how these countries manage risk and to discover the new and innovative level crossing safety technologies being utilised. The delegation comprised of 13 delegates (see Annex A) from rail organisations including passenger and freight operators, rail infrastructure managers, the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator, government and research bodies. This Report has been composed based on the findings and key observations of Study Tour participants. The Study Tour was successful in achieving what it set out to: benchmarking Australia and New Zealand against the USA and UK; gaining an understanding of the impressive range of technologies and approaches being used overseas; and ultimately providing the opportunity to learn and share experiences with rail safety experts regarding how level crossing risk is managed. Knowledge was shared on regulatory frameworks, education, enforcement, stakeholder management, database inventory, risk management and engineering. The Study Tour provided a unique opportunity to expose Australian and New Zealand senior rail safety professionals to the best that the USA and UK have to offer in level crossing safety and bring these learnings home. Study Tour participants unanimously agreed that the investment in time and resources was incredibly worthwhile in gaining access to information, technologies and the experiences of their colleagues abroad as well as building an international network of level crossing safety experts that will endure. BACKGROUND The TrackSAFE Foundation leads a range of initiatives aimed at improving level crossing safety and reducing incidents and near misses. Many of these are in the education, public awareness and advocacy space. These include the TrackSAFE Education program for schools, coordinating the annual Rail Safety Week and other level crossing safety awareness campaigns, and the reestablishment of the National Level Crossing Safety Committee and the development of a new Strategy and Action Plan. KEY LEARNINGS/RECOMMENDATIONS Common themes and key learnings from Study Tour participants include: 1. The Australian and New Zealand rail industries are facing the same issues as the USA and UK. It is crucial that more is done to share information and experiences to ensure world s best practice is achieved in level crossing safety. 2. Collaboration with all key stakeholders is vital particularly working with roads. 3. Vehicle collisions at level crossings are trending downwards but pedestrian collisions at level crossings are on the rise across Australia and New Zealand and similarly in the USA and UK. 4. The Level Crossing Managers (LCM) Program developed by Network Rail has had excellent results and the Australian and New Zealand rail industries can learn a lot from the multi-disciplinary focus as well as their approach to risk assessments of level crossings. 5. There were level crossing safety initiatives and technologies observed on the Study Tour that are relevant for integration into the rail networks in Australia and New Zealand. The Study Tour reinforced that rail organisations still often work in silos. To capitalise on the enthusiasm built on the trip and the desire to trial some of the technologies observed, it is suggested that TrackSAFE through its Board, the National Level Crossing Safety Committee and working with the Australasian Centre for Rail Innovation, ensures national coordination and communication on these initiatives. Where possible these trials should be carried out nationally (or at a minimum with the communications and learnings around these trials being shared on a national scale) to ensure that the information and lessons learned are accessible to all for the betterment of the industry and to avoid duplication. The technologies experienced overseas and detailed in this report will be catalogued into a Level Crossing Safety Database along with the innovations being employed domestically. This information will be overseen by the National Level Crossing Safety Committee to which TrackSAFE performs secretariat duties. With 23,500 level crossings in Australia the importance of innovative technologies in level crossing safety cannot be overstated. TrackSAFE was keen to understand the breadth of treatments not only in Australia and New Zealand but the existing and emerging level crossing safety technologies overseas. The idea for a Study Tour originated at a Level Crossing Safety Forum that TrackSAFE held in Brisbane in 2016. As part of the Forum the Top 50 Ideas in Level Crossing Safety were workshopped and the question was asked If there are all of these ideas and technology trials happening in Australia and New Zealand, what else is happening around the world? As such, TrackSAFE led a delegation overseas on a major fact-finding mission involving a series of meetings and field visits with world leaders in level crossing safety in the USA and UK (the trip agenda is attached at Annex B). 2 3

1. TECHNOLOGIES Study Tour participants deemed the following technologies as the most applicable to Australia and New Zealand: 1. WAYSIDE HORN SYSTEM Wayside horns may be used in lieu of the locomotive train horn. This device is a set of roadside mounted speakers that emit a train horn sound only in the vicinity of the crossing and directed toward the roadway. A dramatically smaller portion of the neighbourhood hence hears the horn noise as it is targeted at the crossing itself and directed towards the road. IMAGES 1 & 2 Wayside Horn System, USA IMAGE 3 Four Quadrant Gate System Automatic Level Crossings, USA The system includes an indication for the train driver that the wayside horn system is functional. 2. The wayside horn has been an effective solution in Quiet Zones in the USA. 2. FOUR QUADRANT GATE SYSTEM AUTOMATIC LEVEL CROSSINGS The use of four sets of gates block vehicle passage on the entire roadway and effectively prohibit a motorist from driving around the gate. This system was developed in response to vehicles zig-zagging around lowered half boom gates. Typically, all four gates are lowered at the same time; however, as an additional safety feature, if a car is on the tracks the departure gate will rise until the car leaves the track area. Vehicle sensors (inductive loops) installed in the roadway at the crossing will automatically keep the gates raised until the car passes by. CTC has reported that where the four quadrant gate system has been installed the incidence of broken or damaged barrier arms have significantly declined or been eliminated. 3. PEDESTRIAN ACTIVE WARNING SIGN The pedestrian active warning system was developed to combat pedestrians attempting the cross the tracks once the first train had gone past, but while the lights were still flashing and boom gates remained down (because a second train was coming and hence pedestrians were being struck by trains). 3. Directed at pedestrians more so than vehicles, the Warning 2nd Train Coming sign flashes if there is another train coming, and there is also an audible warning. Results have been impressive in terms of a decrease in incidents at sites where the technology has been installed. 4 5

1. 4. MOBILE SAFETY VEHICLE & RED LIGHT SAFETY ENFORCEMENT CAMERAS Network Rail in partnership with the British Transport Police (BTP) undertake routine enforcement campaigns at level crossings. They use 15 mobile surveillance vehicles are used to target known hot-spots across the network. 7,000 offences were picked-up over 18-19 sites in the first 18 months of implementing the Mobile Safety Vehicles. In terms of the infringements, offenders have a choice as to whether they are issued with: + 100 pound fine and three demerit points, or + 90 pounds to attend level crossing driver awareness program run by BTP. IMAGE 1 Pedestrian Active Warning Sign, USA IMAGES 2 & 3 Mobile Safety Vehicle, UK Network Rail also uses permanent high visibility fixed red light safety equipment (RSLSE) at selected crossings. These cameras automatically capture evidence data, digital images and video of motorists breaching the stop lines after the red warning lights are activated (using a combination of scanning radar, advanced video analytics and automatic number plate recognition). 2. 3. According to Network Rail and BTP, the focus on enforcement enabled by these technologies has been very effective in bringing down incidents. 5. LOWER COST LEVEL CROSSING SAFETY DEVELOPMENTS Network Rail is currently pursuing a range of low cost level crossing safety treatments including Supplementary Audible Warning Device (SAWD), Project Meerkat (SIL rated enhanced warning device) and Miniature Stop Lights (MSL). Siemens also presented a concept for a low cost SIL 3 system based on a fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA) that can operate on only one hour of sun light, supplemented by wind energy. 6 7

CONCLUSIONS In a world-first, the International Level Crossing Safety Study Tour granted a significant opportunity to a group of senior rail industry professionals, and to the Australian and New Zealand rail industries, to benefit from the information, experiences, innovative new technologies, and lessons learned from rail industries overseas. Through the Study Tour it became clear that rail industries face the same level crossing safety challenges across the globe. It is evident that Australia and New Zealand are up among the best, although with many lessons that can be taken from other counties, gathered through the significant learning experience provided by the Study Tour. Through existing mechanisms including the National Level Crossing Safety Committee, TrackSAFE will work to ensure these learnings and ideas are taken forward and that momentum continues in the level crossing safety space. If in some small way an idea is germinated [from the Study Tour] and saves a life or serious injury it will have certainly been worthwhile. In that regard I am confident that we will be able to make a difference. Phil Ellingworth Chief Engineer, Metro Trains Melbourne TrackSAFE acknowledges and thanks the exceptional hospitality provided by hosts in both the USA and UK particularly from the AAR, CTC Inc., Network Rail and Siemens. The trip would simply not have been possible without the assistance of these organisations; delegates were extremely appreciative. In the words of one delegate: Overall, the level crossing tour provided an excellent opportunity to learn from our hosts, the participants and build a broader network. If in some small way an idea is germinated and saves a life or serious injury it will have certainly been worthwhile. In that regard I am confident that we will be able to make a difference. Phil Ellingworth, Chief Engineer, Metro Trains Melbourne. Author: Naomi Frauenfelder, Executive Director TrackSAFE Foundation 8 9

INTERNATIONAL LEVEL CROSSING SAFETY STUDY TOUR REPORT ANNEX A INTERNATIONAL LEVEL CROSSING SAFETY STUDY TOUR DELEGATE LIST INTERNATIONAL LEVEL CROSSING SAFETY STUDY TOUR GROUP PHOTO NAME POSITION COMPANY Jason Livingston GM Network Assets Aurizon Tracee Pratt Business Manager Australasian Centre for Rail Innovation Gregoire Larue Research Fellow Australasian Centre for Rail Innovation John Skilton Professional Head Signals & Telecommunications KiwiRail Phil Ellingworth Chief Engineer Metro Trains Melbourne David Shacklock Safety Interface Coordinator Network Safety Metro Trains Melbourne Mukesh Mittal Railway Signalling & Systems Engineer Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator Stephen Backway Technical Safety Manager Public Transport Victoria Damien White CEO TasRail Stewart Rendell Principal Signal Engineer John Holland CRN Godwin Camilleri Level Crossings Policy and Program Manager Transport for NSW Ema Nezirovic PM - Signalling, Track and Power VicTrack Naomi Frauenfelder Executive Director TrackSAFE Foundation CTC INC. OFFICES, FORT WORTH TEXAS Author: Naomi Frauenfelder, Executive Director TrackSAFE Foundation Left to Right, Back to Front: Mukesh Mittal, Gregoire Larue, John Skilton, Mike Martino- AAR, Brandom Gengelbach- Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, Stewart Rendell, Phil Ellingworth, Rick Campbell- CTC Inc., Tracee Pratt, Godwin Camilleri, David Shacklock, Jason Livingston, Naomi Frauenfelder, Stephen Backway, Damien White, Ema Nezirovic. 10 11

ANNEX B INTERNATIONAL LEVEL CROSSING SAFETY STUDY TOUR MEETING ITINERARY DATE MEETING/SITE VISIT LOCATION Monday 20 March Wednesday 22 March Friday 24 March Monday 27 March Tuesday 28 March Wednesday 29 March Thursday 30 March CTC, Inc. + Facility Tour + Technology Presentation AND Demonstration + Wayside Horn Field Demonstration Fort Worth, TX + Four Quadrant Gate Demonstration Colleyville, TX + BNSF Railway Network Operations Centre + American Association of Railroads + Federal Railroad Administration + Volpe Centre + Operation Lifesaver + University of Illinois + Grand Central Terminal tour + Long Island site visits: ASTW Demonstration Another Train Coming Demonstration Four Quadrant Gate Demonstration Network Rail Level Crossing Managers Forum Field visits with Network Rail: + Mobile Safety Vehicle demonstration with the police explaining the equipment + Farm user-worked crossing with power operated gates (POGO) and red/green stop lights + Manually controlled barrier with obstacle detection + Visit to signal box which operates the largest and busiest crossings in the country + Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) + Office of Rail and Road (ORR) Visit to Siemens facility Fort Worth, Texas Washington DC NYC and Long Island York, UK Travel to various locations - UK London, UK Chippenham, UK Author: Naomi Frauenfelder, Executive Director TrackSAFE Foundation 12

Suite 4, Level 4, Plaza Offices (East), Canberra Airport ACT 2609 PO Box 4608, Kingston ACT 2604 Australia T +61 2 6270 4508 F +61 2 6273 5581 E info@tracksafefoundation.com.au W tracksafefoundation.com.au