This report assesses the safety benefits of a real-time railroad crossing information system for emergency responders. The study focuses on reducing first responder delays at rail crossings, which have become increasingly critical due to the rise in average train lengths in the United States. The research, funded by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), was conducted by TRAINFO between October 2018 and June 2023 in Winnipeg, MB (Canada), Houston, TX, and Charleston County, SC. The primary objectives were to quantify the risk of responders being exposed to active crossings, evaluate the effectiveness of in-vehicle systems, and assess dispatcher tactical maps in reducing these risks.
The study involved the installation of TRAINFO sensors to collect real-time rail crossing data, which was then integrated into in-vehicle systems and dispatcher tactical maps. The findings indicate that more than 90 percent of responder delays at rail crossings can be eliminated using real-time and predictive rail crossing information. However, the effectiveness of these systems is limited by human factors such as available responder attention and the complexity of dispatcher workflows. The report concludes that integrating rail crossing information into Computer-Aided-Dispatch (CAD) software could provide a more consistent and effective solution to mitigate responder delays.