Focus on making better decisions at level crossings

More than 200 experts, policy makers and campaigners from around the world gathered at the National Railway Museum in York today (5 June) to address the persistent dangers of level crossings. The event, taking place on the 17th International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD), was jointly hosted by Network Rail and the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the world’s first passenger railway.

There were two fatalities at level crossings in 2024, the lowest number recorded on the network since 2018. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) reported nine incidents involving harm or the risk of harm to people at level crossings during the year. Network Rail recorded 426 near-miss incidents at level crossings in the 2023-2024 period, with 117 of these involving pedestrians in 2024.

Level crossings remain a critical point of risk: they account for nearly a third of all rail collisions globally. The overwhelming majority of these collisions are attributed to risky behaviour, distraction or deliberate rule-breaking by road users and pedestrians. The figure rises sharply when trespass incidents are included. More than 90% of all fatalities on rail infrastructure worldwide involve third parties primarily trespassers and level crossing users.

The 2025 ILCAD theme, “Helping people make good decisions,” brought a focus on engineering solutions, enforcement partnerships and community outreach, especially targeting vulnerable users such as children, elderly people and those with disabilities.