Fewer barriers – more safety and higher service quality

Closed level crossing barriers are often a test of patience. There have even been cases in which road users actually ignored the barriers and crossed the rail tracks, despite the ban. Such people are frequently unaware of the danger to which they are exposing themselves. This often underestimated risk can have dramatic consequences. On average 40-60 barriers are damaged and / or broken yearly, which is equivalent to 1 incident per week and represents a significant cost to tax payers, without mentioning that this means 40-60 situations where a person’s life could be at risk. In 2018, the CFL recorded 74 incidents at level crossings involving private cars, trucks, agricultural machinery, bicycles or pedestrians. From January to the end of April 2019, 22 incidents occurred.

Technical problems and delays

Yet even an apparently trivial encounter between road users and closed barriers can cause damages and technical problems that can have repercussions for rail travel in the entire CFL network, such as high costs for remedying problems or repair work and the delays caused by this.

Crossing closed barriers constitutes a violation of the “Code de la Route”, or highway code, and it comes at a cost. Car drivers have to pay a 145 euro fine if they ignore a warning signal and also receive two penalty points on their driving license. If a pedestrian crosses a closed level crossing, it can cost him up to 3,000 euros.

The CFL removes level crossings

The safest level crossing, in one that has been removed!

For this reason the CFL has put in place a program to remove all level crossings.

This level crossing removal program is being continued and currently the number of level crossings is 117. Between 2014 and June 2019, the CFL removed 24 level crossings and in the next 5 years at least 9 level crossings will be removed.