Railway crossings

A railway level crossing is anywhere a train might cross a road. Some have barrier arms, but some don’t, so it’s good to know what to do at each type of crossing.

Where should you practise this?

New Zealand has over 1300 public level crossings, so there’s sure to be times when you’ll need to drive across one.

Look for crossings controlled by barrier arms, lights and bells. Try to practise at crossings controlled by Stop or Give Way signs if you can find them. Make sure you know what to do at each type of crossing.

Types of railway crossing

Railway crossings on busy roads will usually have barrier arms, lights and bells, but some crossings only have warning signs and Give way or Stop signs.

A few level crossings don’t have any warning signs or devices, although these are usually only found on private land.

As you come up to a railway crossing

• Remember your intersection approach routine.
• If there’s a Give Way sign or no signs/warning devices – slow down and be ready to stop.
• If there’s a Stop sign, you must come to a complete stop before the crossing and check in both directions before driving on.
• If there’s a barrier arm down and/or lights flashing and bells sounding, you must wait for all these warning devices to stop before crossing the tracks.
• Even if there are lights and barrier arms, check in both directions along the railway line before you cross. Take a good long look, right down the line.
• If you need to stop at a railway crossing always stop behind the limit line. If there isn’t one stop at least 5 metres away from the crossing. This is so if another car hits you from behind, you don’t get shunted onto the tracks
• Check the way ahead is clear too. There needs to be space on the other side of the crossing for your car, otherwise you could get stuck on the tracks.
• All clear? Look right, ahead and left again before you carefully drive across.

More tips for crossing railway crossings

• It’s tricky to judge how fast a train is travelling. They often look like they’re further away and going slower than they actually are.
• Trains take a long time to stop, and a train can’t avoid something on the track.
• If you see a train approaching a crossing, stop and wait, even if it seems far away.
• Some level crossings have more than one track so trains may come from both directions. Even if a train has gone through the crossing in one direction, you may still have to wait for a train coming from the other direction.