Grade Crossings in High Speed Rail Corridors 59 th ANNUAL ILLINOIS TRAFFIC ENGINEERING & SAFETY CONFERENCE October 21, 2010 Champaign, IL Michael E. Stead Rail Safety Section Illinois Commerce Commission
Public Safety Must Be the #1 Priority
Grade Crossings in High Speed Rail Corridors Considerations Public Crossings Private Crossings Field Crossings Pedestrian Crossings Trespassers
High Speed Rail Corridor - Chicago to St. Louis
1 st Segment: Dwight to Godfrey MP 70 - MP 250 180 Crossings 137 Public Grade 30 Private Grade 7 Pedestrian Grade 6 Field IDOT Union Pacific Railroad ICC Amtrak Local Road Agencies
Federal Guidelines - Sealed Corridors 1 Public crossing treatments for Emerging HSR ( < 110 mph) should provide an additional level of safety by blocking all lanes of travel, to prevent left turns from parallel roadways that inadvertently or discourage those who might attempt to go around the lowered gate 1. Four quadrant gates Median arrangements Paired one way streets with gate arms extending across all lanes of travel 1 Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Guidelines for High-Speed Passenger Rail, Federal Railroad Administration (11/09)
Four Quadrant Gates
HSR Four-Quadrant Gate Design Dynamic Mode - Primary form of operation Inductive loop detectors used for vehicle detection Both Exit and Entrance Gates descend together Timed Mode - Backup If Vehicle Detection System fails Rural Crossings; low traffic volumes Entrance Gates must be horizontal, at a minimum, prior to Exit Gates descending Exit Gates fail in the Up position Gates installed parallel to tracks Remote Monitoring at all crossings
Four Quadrant Gates - Presence Detection 1 Accepted design for four-quadrant gates includes a delay on the descent of exit gates to permit traffic on the crossing to clear before arrival of the train. Where a four-quadrant gate system is employed and storage is a potential issue, consideration should be given to using vehicle presence detection to maintain the exit gates in the raised position until traffic within the crossing clears. 1 Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Guidelines for High-Speed Passenger Rail, Federal Railroad Administration (11/09)
HSR Four-Quadrant Gate Design (Vehicle Detection System) Exit Gate Management System (EGMS) Loop Amplifiers integral part of EGMS Pre-formed Loops (as opposed to standard loop wire) Longer life expectancy Loop dimensions must be known prior to installation Primary loop and test loop enclosed in one jacket Loop junction boxes installed to signal bases Roadway approaches reconstructed full-depth both sides of crossings Pre-formed loops buried between asphalt lifts while repaving Longer life expectancy than the typical saw-cut loop.
Standard (Two Quadrant) Gates
MTCD* FOR STANDARD CROSSING Minimum Track Clearance Distance MTCD shown in red
Four-Quadrant Gates Exit Gates shown in red
Minimum Track Clearance Distance Quad Gates MTCD shown in red
Self-Checking Inductive Loop Detector The detector loop consists of two detector loops in one, the primary and the check. The detector amplifier continuously shorts the check loop to induce a call on the primary, thereby validating its operation.
Typical Vehicle Detection System Utilizing Loop Detectors Detector loops shown in red
Typical Plan - Quad Gates Pavement Reconstruction Bury Pre-formed Detector Loops
Four-Quadrant Gates March 2010 Guidance Document Previous Installations UP - Joliet to Springfield CSX - City of Chicago Criteria Special Considerations Checklist Typical Layouts Allow for Advancement
Federal Guidelines - Private Crossings 1 Private highway rail crossings constitute a significant part of the crossing safety problem in the United States, and in most States, there is no public regulation of this issue. On average, movements over private crossings are a greater risk to persons on trains because of the prevalence of heavy trucks and agricultural equipment: Public Access Crossings Industrial Crossings Residential Crossings Agricultural Crossings 1 Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Guidelines for High-Speed Passenger Rail, Federal Railroad Administration (11/09)
Private Crossings (Safe Access)
Field Crossings (Safe Access) Field Crossing w/o Active Warning Devices Field Crossing with User- Activated Devices
Federal Guidelines - Pedestrian Considerations 1 Pedestrian treatments at vehicular crossings and associated sidewalks, including pedestrian pathways, are an essential safety element: Active Warning for Pedestrians Channelization of Pedestrian Traffic Special Needs Road Users Crossings near Stations Flangeway Gaps 1 Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Guidelines for High-Speed Passenger Rail, Federal Railroad Administration (11/09)
Pedestrian Crossings
Pedestrian Crossings (Safe Access) Pedestrian Xing with R.O.W. Access Pedestrian Xing with Restricted R.O.W. Access
Federal Guidelines - Trespass Considerations 1 Trespassing on railroad property is the single largest cause of deaths associated with railroad operations HSR lines should be clearly posted against entry Consideration should be given to use of tamper resistant fencing, video surveillance, and similar measures in high traffic areas. Control of trespassing is also essential to the reliability and security of HSR service 1 Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Guidelines for High-Speed Passenger Rail, Federal Railroad Administration (11/09)
Trespassers (Restrict Access to RR R.O.W.)
Trespassers
Trespassers
Trespassers
QUESTIONS?? Michael E. Stead Rail Safety Program Administrator Illinois Commerce Commission 527 E. Capitol Avenue Springfield, IL 62701 (217) 5570-1285 mstead@icc.illinois.gov