Dear ELCF / ILCAD members,
During the ELCF plenary meeting on 9 October 2018 at FFE in Madrid a presentation was given about the poor side-visibility of freight wagons.
Freight trains may have dark colours or look dark because of dirt.
This is a risk especially at passive level crossings at night:
Long freight trains at low speed occupy a LC for some time.
A car driver arriving at the LC does not see the lights of an approaching train,
or the train on the LC and will assume that it is safe to proceed.
For road transport the use of lights or reflecting stripes was regulated in the past.
In the USA the use of reflecting markers is regulated for freight trains (see photo below).
In Europe there seems to be no regulations, nevertheless sometimes marked freight trains have been spotted.
In the Netherlands a collision between a motor vehicle and a freight train on a passive LC at night happens once a year.
Would you be so kind to help us by responding the following questionnaire by November 1st please ?? We will share the results with you.
Jeroen Nederlof ELCF Chairman and Isabelle Fonverne ELCF Secretary