Closing Time: Railroads Ramp Up Efforts to Sell Local Officials, Residents On a Crossing Closure's Safety Benefits

This article describes ways in which railroads are trying to eliminate accidents at railroad crossings, a problem dating back to the early days of railroading. There are about 85,000 public and more than 85,000 private crossings in the country, and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has encouraged state and local governments to reduce that number by 25 percent. But politics plays a role; local residents complain that closing the crossings is an inconvenience, emergency service providers also oppose closings. The author describes the corridor approach, which has been tried in New York, and Union Pacific’s strategy for evaluating and closing crossings. The FRA is holding public hearings to review private crossing practices and the adequacy of warning devices. Grade separations, underpasses, and other infrastructure changes are the best way to keep vehicles off tracks, but the cost is prohibitive in many cases.