The U.S. DOT Volpe Center’s Systems Safety and Engineering Division works on behalf of the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety and Trespass Prevention Program to evaluate methodologies, visual and audio warnings, motor vehicle and train presence detection, crossing geometry, crossing gate and flashing light technologies, and human factors issues. 

A major effort of the Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety and Trespass Prevention Program is to develop a precise understanding of the risks presented by the right-of-way (ROW) and then determine how best to mitigate (i.e., decrease or eliminate) the risks—to improve the technology and mitigation strategies for the nation’s railroad ROW infrastructure. 

This collection of publications and papers features research that the U.S. DOT Volpe Center team published associated with all aspects of railroad ROW, including highway-rail intersection and trespass issues. 

2021

Trespass Prevention Research Study – Worcester, MA
FRA Office of Research, Development, and Technology
Franco Bedini Jacobini (FRA) and Marco daSilva 
April 2021

Driver Behavior at Malfunctioning Crossing and Emergency Notification System Sign Awareness
FRA Office of Research, Development, and Technology
Jared Young, Daniel Flynn, PhD, Megan France, Scott H. Gabree, PhD 
February 2021 

2020

Law Enforcement Strategies for Reducing Trespassing – Pilot Program
FRA Office of Research, Development, and Technology
Suzanne Horton and Marco daSilva 
December 2020 

Gate Skirts Research at a Highway-Rail Grade Crossing in Ramsey, NJ
FRA Office of Research, Development, and Technology
Franco Bedini Jacobini (FRA) and Marco daSilva 
October 2020

LED-Enhanced Sign Research to Reduce Vehicle Queuing at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings 
Adrian Hellman 
FRA Office of Research, Development, and Technology
August 2020

Rails with Trails: Best Practices and Lessons Learned
FHWA and FRA 
Jared Fijalkowski, Gina Filosa, Jamie Young, Anthony Lucivero (Digital iBiz), Andrea Ferster (Rails-to-Trails Conservancy), Eli Griffin (Rails-to-Trails Conservancy), Kelly Pack (Rails-to-Trails Conservancy)  
March 2020 

Trespass Risk in Quiet Zones
FRA Office of Research, Development, and Technology
Tashi Ngamdung and Marco daSilva 
March 2020 

Trespasser Detection Systems on Railroad Rights-of-Way
FRA Office of Research, Development, and Technology
William Baron and Marco daSilva
January 2020

Trespasser Detection on Railroad Property Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
FRA Office of Research, Development, and Technology
William Baron and Marco daSilva 
August 2020 

2019

Analysis of Non-Track-Circuit Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Train Detection Technologies
FRA Office of Research, Development, and Technology
Adrian Hellman and Paul Poirier 
December 2019

Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle to Produce Accurate Grade Crossing Profile Data
FRA Office of Research, Development, and Technology
William Baron and Marco daSilva
December 2019 

System-Wide Implementation of Rail Right-of-Way Incursion Treatments
FRA Office of Research, Development, and Technology
Franco Bedini Jacobini (FRA) and Marco daSilva 
October 2019

Effect of Anti-Trespass Guard Panels on Pedestrian Behavior
FRA Office of Research, Development, and Technology
Tashi Ngamdung and Marco daSilva 
July 2019 

Effect of Photo Enforcement-Based Education on Vehicle Driver Behavior at a Highway-Rail Grade Crossing
FRA Office of Research, Development, and Technology
Tashi Ngamdung and Marco daSilva 
June 2019 

Effectiveness of LED-Enhanced Signs in Reducing Incidents of Vehicles Stopping on Tracks
FRA Office of Research, Development, and Technology
William Baron and Marco daSilva 
June 2019

Law Enforcement Strategies for Mitigating Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Risk Factors
FRA Office of Research, Development, and Technology
Alison Thompson and Suzanne Horton
June 2019

Long-Term Effect of Photo Enforcement-Based Education on Vehicle Driver Behavior at a Highway-Rail Grade Crossing
FRA Office of Research, Development, and Technology
Tashi Ngamdung and Marco daSilva 
June 2019 

Effects of Grade Separation on Pedestrian Railroad Trespass Activity at Shuttlesworth Drive in Collegeville, AL
FRA Office of Research, Development, and Technology
Tashi Ngamdung and Marco daSilva 
May 2019 

Effects of In-Pavement Lights on Driver Compliance with Grade Crossing Safety Equipment
FRA Office of Research, Development, and Technology
William Baron and Marco daSilva 
May 2019
  
Development of Railroad Trespass and Grade Crossing Training Aids Research 
FRA Office of Research, Development, and Technology
Franco Bedini Jacobini (FRA) and Tashi Ngamdung 
March 2019 

2017 Grade Crossing Research Needs Workshop
FRA Office of Research, Development, and Technology
James Harrison and Marco daSilva
March 2019

Additional publications are available upon request or can be found through FRA’s publication site.