Safety modelling and improvement of railroad grade crossing in Egypt

The railroad-crossing environment in many countries of the developing world is known to be relatively unsafe, and uncomfortable. Several factors contribute to this situation. Some relate to unsatisfactory design and layout of such crossings, and their associated control systems. Others are related to condition of crossing vehicles. Most importantly, there is a general trend among drivers and pedestrians of violation and non-compliance with traffic rules and regulations. This paper starts by classifying types of railroad crossings in Egypt. A generic conceptualization of factors affecting safety of railroad grade crossings is presented. This is followed by assessing the safety features for selected railroad grade crossings in Greater Cairo. Probabilistic safety models are developed, where accidents occurring at railroad grade intersections are defined as an outcome of a collision between a train and a vehicle(s) or a collision between a train and a pedestrian(s). Accidents could occur either as a result of violating crossing vehicles (pedestrians) or as a result of other factors. In this context, the relationship describing accidents as being a function of exposure multiplied by propensity is developed for accidents at railroad grade crossings. A program of traffic data collection was then conducted for the selected railroad grade crossings in Greater Cairo. Statistical models that relate crossing safety at railroad crossings to exposure parameters are developed. A total of 50 statistical models were calibrated. The power function was the most dominant function. The paper concludes by proposing a package of countermeasures that is meant to improve the traffic safety conditions at railroad grade crossings.