6 Railroad Crossings
6.1.3 Minnesota Guidestar - Low-Cost Roadside Warning System
Information on the low-cost roadside warning system was obtained from The Use of ITS to Improve Safety and Mobility at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings.11
Impetus for the Activity
The impetus for the activity was to build upon the partnership formed during the development and testing of the in-vehicle warning system. The objective of the project is to develop and test a low-cost roadside warning system that can operate without nearby electrical power or conventional train detection track circuitry. Such a system would be highly applicable to remote rural crossings.
Criteria for System Selection
The system is being developed by two of the project partners, 3M and DVSS.
System Description
The system is in the planning stage and will undergo design and development this year. Installation is planned for 2000-2001 with testing occurring between 2001 and 2003.
The system would convert a passive control crossing into a “semi-active” control crossing, using solar power (with battery back-up) and the Head-of-Train detection system described above. The system will also have a Global Positioning System to determine directional movements.
Text messages will be provided to the driver through a CMS, and information will be transmitted to in-vehicle displays similar to those used in the in-vehicle warning system test described above. A variety of specialty vehicles (police, EMS, school buses) will be equipped with the in-vehicle systems.
System Effectiveness Evaluation
The system will be tested at rural passive crossings on Twin Cities and Western Railroad lines in western Minnesota.