Motor Vehicle Traffic Diversion to Alternate Routes for Improving Safety at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings

A system that alerts motorists to delays at rail crossings enables them to divert to alternate routes unaffected by trains. Fewer motor vehicles at rail crossings reduces the risk of train-involved crashes. This research had two objectives: develop and deploy a prototype system to provide motorists with train-induced delay information through variable message signs (VMSs) and an evaluation of motorists’ route-diversion behavior in response to this information. The developed Train Occupancy Time Estimation System (TOTES) detects train presence at rail crossings, estimates train speeds and lengths, and calculates expected delays. This information is relayed via VMS upstream from rail crossings to inform approaching motorists. Deployment of TOTES was at a location in Lincoln, NE, where motorists could divert to a grade-separated alternate route, thereby circumventing train traffic. An analysis of motorist diversion before and after TOTES deployment showed a statistically significant increase in route diversion when information on train-induced delay was provided, thus reducing motor vehicle traffic at the rail crossing during train-crossing events. The findings from this study advocate for further system enhancements and broader deployment at similar sites for a reduction of motor vehicle traffic at rail crossings during train-crossing events.