Level Crossings Will Be Converted To Underpasses Or Overpasses

Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure "Regulation on Measures to be Taken at Railway Level Crossings and Implementation Principles" Official newspaperIt was published and entered into force.

Accordingly, level crossings will be converted into underpasses or overpasses. In the current regulation, it was TCDD's responsibility to transform level crossings into under/overpasses. With the new regulation, the institutions or organizations that are connected to the highway that cuts the level crossing have been made responsible for the construction of the underpass and overpass and taking other safety measures.

In regions with high traffic density, the cruising moment, which is 30 thousand in the current regulation, will be increased to 90 thousand, and 174 under/overpasses will be built by the institutions and organizations to which the highway belongs.

In the current regulation, the visibility distance at all level crossings was determined as “5 meters from the road vehicle to the railway, 500 meters from both sides of the railway”, and “750 meters from the railway vehicle from both sides of the level crossing”. In the new regulation, the visibility distance requirement of 500 meters from the highway and 750 meters from the railway was changed, the visibility distance requirement for level crossings with active protection was removed, and "visibility distance according to train speed" was determined for level crossings with passive protection.

At present, level crossings were classified in 3 ways: free (cross-marked), automatic barrier with flashing/bells, and barrier with guard.

With the new regulation, only crossed level crossings are classified as passive protected and level crossings with all other warning systems are classified as active protected.

In the current regulation, the construction, maintenance and operation of the level crossings and approach roads were responsible for the institution or organization to which the highway is affiliated, in the next section from a distance of 5 meters in both directions from the rail.

With the new regulation, the distance requirement of 5 meters has been removed. Accordingly, the institution and organization to which the road is affiliated will be responsible for the construction of signs for road users, maintenance and repair and taking the necessary safety measures, starting from the point where the level crossing pavement ends on both sides of the rail and the intersection with the road.

Level crossings must be brought into compliance with the new regulation by 31 December 2025.