In the past decade, there has been increasing attention in Australia about how best to manage the removal of level rail crossings in areas with concerns around safety, traffic congestion and the liveability of communities becoming more pressing, particularly in suburban settings.
Safety issues have occurred at level rail crossings across Australia with both pedestrians and road users injured or killed. Now, in many locations across the country, programs are underway to remove level crossings to create safer and more efficient transport corridors for communities.
Queensland is one state where the removal of level crossings is in the spotlight. The state, particularly in the south east, has experienced rapid population growth in recent years. With the upwards trajectory set to continue and planning for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics underway, there is an increasing focus on how we can design existing transport infrastructure to cater for communities now and in decades to come.
In this article, our rail experts discuss how removing level crossings in Queensland can create a safer, more efficient, and resilient rail network.
Getting level crossing removals off the ground
Even when operating as expected, boom gate closures, particularly in suburbia, can significantly increase congestion, making it difficult to move safely and efficiently. On a normal day, the level crossing in Boundary Road, Coopers Plains in Queensland traverses three tracks. Approximately 202 trains pass through in a 24-hour period, creating lengthy peak hour delays for motorists.
The flow of traffic at level crossings is further hampered where incidents, such as an accident, occur. In networks with little resilience, major incidents such as fatalities can result in line closures of six to 12 hours while the situation is resolved.
How removing level crossings creates social value
- There are numerous benefits to road and rail users from removing level crossings, as well as the surrounding community. Positive outcomes include:
- Improving safety by removing the danger of trains sharing a crossing with vehicles and other users
- Reducing congestion by eliminating frustrating delays caused by boom gates and allowing more vehicles to pass through
- Improving travel time reliability by removing uncertainty around when boom gate closures will occur and how long they will be down for
- Increasing capacity to run more trains on the network, without boom gates delaying vehicles and other users
- There are also other opportunities to add social value for the community and commuters depending on the chosen design at each site, such as creating new open space, building new shared use walking and cycling paths or commissioning public artwork
- Increase efficiency and access levels for emergency vehicles such as ambulances that may have otherwise been stopped at crossings.
Although not planned for, the removal of level crossings can also lead to an uplift in land values as the liveability of an area is enhanced. This can potentially attract more developer funds to improve existing infrastructure.
However, removing level crossings is not without challenges. The process can be costly and disruptive to both the rail and road network. There are also important considerations around environmental impacts, stakeholder engagement and, of course, finding the best solution for each unique level crossing environment.
In short, it’s a complex process that requires an experienced team.
Minimising disruptions is key
Yuyu Zhang, Technical Executive – Strategic Rail Planning, says that “There is a lot of complexity in minimising construction impacts during live operations and this is particularly important where rail crossings are located in busy rail networks. The impact on rail reliability, capacity and customer experience can be significant if not managed carefully.”
WSP has strong rail operations, modelling and planning experience. Jamie Green, Major Projects Director, explains that the team assesses crossing removals according to a hierarchy of disruption. The solutions – road closure, road over, road under, rail over and rail under – are all examined to find the best fit for each unique level crossing removal.
Considerations of cost are also a factor and solutions can often be multi-faceted with short, medium and long-term phases. This approach enables safety to remain at the forefront, whilst being more cost effective and dynamic in responding to the changing needs of the road and rail networks.
Delivering a holistic approach for better safety and community outcomes
Kieran Cook, Associate Principal, describes a precinct approach as vital in delivering a successful level crossing removal.
A precinct approach to planning involves moving beyond the scope of removing level crossings for safety. In order to determine the best approach at each site, the current and future needs of the community need to be considered.
Having delivered numerous level crossing removal projects using the precinct approach, Kieran says “It’s about treating it as more than a discrete road rail project. A holistic precinct approach looks at the impacts – because level crossings have massive impacts. They can demarcate suburbs and really separate and isolate the communities within them.”
