Finland Times

According to the Finnish Transport Safety Agency-Trafi, on an average 30 accidents take place at level crossings every year.

This year, six people have died in accidents and the number was only two in last year. The number of serious injuries has also increased this year.

Approximately 50-100 rail-road crossings are removed from the state-owned railway network every year. There number at present is slightly more than 3,100.

The problem in terms of safety is reducing the number of rail-road crossings is not considered a high priority.

In order to reduce accidents, crossings have begun being fitting with warning lights, which use solar power and LEDs.

“Eliminating rail-road crossings will not automatically improve safety. In the context of upgrading crossings, most are eventually eliminated, but many of them are in the middle of the forest crossings with smaller roads, nowhere near electric cables,” said Kirsi Pajunen, a leading expert at Trafi.

According to Pajunen, installation of electrical equipment in such places would be costly, and the traffic volumes are small. LED warning lights could be the solution. Bridges and underpasses are the most expensive options.

Pajunen does not always trust warning signs, because they are not always heeded in familiar crossings, and a train that uses its whistle at every intersection soon causes the residents nearby to lose their tempers.

Trafi has been considering new “smart” traffic technologies that warn cars of approaching trains. Still, a driver’s concentration may be diverted by a mobile phone conversation or music.

Removing rail-road crossings and upgrading safety measures are not a specifically budgeted allocation.

The Accident Investigation Board has issued a recommendation that in order to improve crossing safety, new strategies and a concrete plan should be drawn up, including financial arrangements.