Metro train going through a level crossing

Railway crossing safety initiatives and upgrades

The Victorian Government undertakes a number of initiatives to improve safety at railway crossings.

Australian Level Crossing Assessment Model (ALCAM) 

The first comprehensive survey of all public road and pedestrian railway crossings in Victoria was completed in 2007. The surveys were completed using ALCAM which identifies risks at railway crossings and provides the basis for prioritising crossings for upgrade.

The second series of ALCAM surveys of public road and pedestrian level crossings commenced on 5 January 2009, on an ongoing five year cycle basis. The second round of surveys incorporated the initial Occupation and Private Railway crossings, which were not included in the first survey. The surveys were only conducted on operational rail lines.

ALCAM is a risk-based methodology endorsed by the Australian Transport Council, to assess accident risk likelihood at railway crossings. The risk assessment data is used to rank Railway Crossing Upgrade Program based on accident risk likelihood, probability and consequence.

ALCAM has been formally adopted by all state and territory governments in Australia as the best means for evaluating the relative safety risk of railway crossings.

As at 1 April 2013, 3,555 field surveys have been completed:

  • 828 pedestrian crossings
  • 1955 road crossings 
  • 772 occupation crossings

An additional 1,082 sites have been visited to identify redundant and illegal crossings through the survey, including private crossings and/or illegal crossings.

For further information on the assessment of all public level and pedestrian crossings throughout Victoria, see VicTrack's website at victrack.com.au.

Level crossing upgrade program 

The annual level crossing upgrade program aims to improve safety at crossings by upgrading controls from passive (signage only) to active crossings with boom barriers and/or flashing lights.

The program is delivered by VicTrack in liaison with VicRoads and rail operators. For more information, visit victrack.com.au.

The order in which level crossings are upgraded is based on ALCAM assessments.

Since August 2009, all road level crossing control upgrades completed under the Rail Level Crossing Upgrade Program have been to flashing light and half boom barrier controls. There will be no more upgrades to flashing light controls only.

The VicTrack website provides information on the Victorian Level and Pedestrian Crossing Upgrade Program. For more information, visit victrack.com.au.

Pedestrian crossing upgrade program 

The Victorian Government is undertaking a program to improve the safety of railway crossings for pedestrians including upgrading pedestrian crossings from passive to active protection, implementing the recommendations of the Wheelchair Safety at Rail Level Crossings Taskforce and removing unauthorised railway pedestrian crossings.

The VicTrack website provides information on the Victorian Level and Pedestrian Crossing Upgrade Program. For more information, visit victrack.com.au.

Railway pedestrian crossing fault reports 

Victoria's public transport operators have an ongoing program for maintaining pedestrian rail crossings. Faults with railway pedestrian crossings can also be reported by members of the public:

  • 1800 001 050 for metropolitan railway crossings
  • 1800 013 007 for country railway crossings.

Both numbers are 24-hour, toll-free numbers. They are not emergency numbers and should only be used to report faults at level crossings.

For emergencies, telephone 000.

Research and new technologies 

Laverton level crossing safety trial

The Australian Centre for Rail Innovation is undertaking a trial to investigate how level crossing users respond to traffic cameras at a busy level crossing location in Laverton, Victoria.

The trial is an initiative of the Victorian Railway Crossing Safety Steering Committee, and is being funded jointly by the Victorian Government and the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC).

Level crossing safety is a key issue for the Australian rail industry. With 50 per cent of near hits and collisions occurring at protected level crossings, the findings will be used to help to determine potential future safety initiatives at this and similar crossings with the aim of ultimately saving lives.

There are two phases for the trial which involve the installation of two different types of level crossing monitoring equipment at Aviation Road, Laverton.

The trial starts in February and will run through to late 2015.

The equipment will monitor level crossing behaviour by motorists and pedestrians using a safe, low power radar, and will record both still images and video footage.

It will record transgressions such as traffic queuing across the rail lines and failure to stop.

There is no enforcement element associated with the trial.

The data collected will only be made available to university researchers so they can analyse road user behaviour, traffic congestion and movement patterns. It will be used purely for analysis purposes to determine user behaviour at this very busy crossing

Dedicated Short Range Communications Trial

A world-first trial of a technology which is believed to be capable of significantly reducing railway level crossing accidents by allowing vehicles to "talk" to each other is currently being trialled in Melbourne.

Public Transport Victoria (PTV) is participating in the trial of a level crossing warning system known as Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) technology.

Automotive Technology Co-operative Research Centre

The State Government is researching new Intelligent Transport System (ITS) technologies to help improve level crossing safety, particularly GPS satellite-navigation devices and vehicle to vehicle (V2v) and vehicle to infrastructure (v2i) Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) technology.

GPS satellite-navigation technology trials with two trucking companies were completed in 2009.

In August 2009 the national Co-operative Research Centre for Advanced Automotive Technology (AutoCRC) - Visionary Project Program, provided a $1 million grant to a DOT / LaTrobe University / Queensland University of Technology (QUT) partnership, for a three year trial of new technology v2v and v2i Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) at railway level crossings.

The Department of Transport is the 'Industry Champion' on the Steering Committee for the National ITS Level Crossing Safety.

Rail Cooperative Research Centre

The national Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Rail Innovation (RailCRC) is a collaborative venture between leading organisations in the Australian rail industry and Australian Universities and is supported by the Commonwealth Government. The CRC for Rail Innovation is investing around $100m in rail research to meet participant and industry needs over the 7 years to 2014. Further information can be located at CRC website.

The DOT is the chair of the RailCRC ITS For Safer Level Crossings project steering committee. The inaugural Steering Committee meeting for the project was held on 12 May 2010.

This project aims to improve level crossing safety by examining the road vehicle drivers' responses to new Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) to advance both in–vehicle and road–side warning and protection systems. It has been suggested that the application of ITS technologies to Australia's level crossings would cost less than 10% of the crash cost.

This project will identify in–vehicle and roadside ITS systems that facilitate rail level crossing safety outcomes. It will focus on designing and evaluating an ITS system that will change driver behaviour. The project focuses on the Human Machine Interface (HMI) aspects of the technology and does not intend to build the hardware itself. It will identify the interface with the highest potential to increase safety at RLX. A mock up of the most suitable technology will be simulated and tested in the driving simulator.