COURSE DESCRIPTION:

A highway-rail grade crossing is the intersection of two transportation modes: railroads and highways. Many crossings are "at-grade" which significantly increases incidents of often-fatal crashes between trains and motor vehicles. Over the past 30 years, there have been substantial reductions in crashes and fatalities at highway-rail grade crossings due to the efforts of federal, state, and local governments, the railroads, and non-profit organizations such as Operation Lifesaver, Inc. Nonetheless, crashes still occur.

The goal of this one-day training course is to provide attendees with the knowledge and tools needed to plan, implement, and evaluate safety improvements to highway-rail grade crossings. The course presents:

An overview of the regulations, responsibilities, and funding mechanisms that apply to today's Highway-Rail Grade Crossing (HRGX) program.

The steps involved in planning, implementing, and evaluating highway-rail grade crossing improvement projects.

OUTCOMES:

Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:

• Identify the highway-rail grade crossing program components and processes and the regulations that apply to the program.
• Identify highway-rail grade crossing improvement work that is required as part of highway improvement projects under other federal-aid programs.
• Describe the purpose and benefits of assessing highway-rail grade crossing safety and operations.
• Explain considerations for implementing and maintaining a grade crossing improvement project.
• Identify techniques and tools for improving highway-rail grade crossing safety and operations.

TARGET AUDIENCE:

The target audience for this training course includes: State DOT personnel involved in highway-rail grade crossings; Public project engineers from railroad industries; Transportation consultants; FHWA safety engineers; MPO/City/county DOT personnel; and FRA crossing managers.

If you have questions about this NHI training, please contact NHI at nhicustomerservice@dot.gov or 877.558.6873.