Why do barriers on train tracks go down so early?

[Soubriquet]

Middle of the school rush traffic this morning and we were sat there waiting 10 minutes before the train even appeared. This caused a lovely traffic jam in the middle of town that could have been avoided. 5 minutes before the train is due near should suffice surely?

This isn’t a one off. It seems to be everytime a train comes, we are sat there 10 minutes plus waiting for a train to come by. Sometimes longer if there’s two of them

So if something goes wrong, there's a chance to stop the train would be my bet. Trains take a lot of stopping.

I’m guessing so they can make sure that in the event someone gets stuck on the tracks they have time to sort it?

If you've ever seen a train collide with a car that's on the crossing, you'd understand why they play it safe.

See that makes sense, especially when it’s one of those long trains with the crates on them (brain failing for the name right now) but it’s just annoying because everyone is in a rush to get where they need to go, but no one can mode because of this bloody track.

It’s a shame under/over track tunnels are not more popular in busy town centres

There's a fixed distance sensor that triggers them. My local crossing has a wait around 90 seconds for an express, 3 minutes for a freighter, about 7 for the engineering set.

Trains take ages to stop, so they barriers need to come down and leave plenty time for any errors to be noted, and for the message to get to the driver and train to be stopped.

Also, the barriers have a sensor to stop them lowering if people are still driving, so they don't get trapped.

All of that takes time.

Freight trains! Thank you. That was bugging me

@Soubriquet

Middle of the school rush traffic this morning and we were sat there waiting 10 minutes before the train even appeared. This caused a lovely traffic jam in the middle of town that could have been avoided. 5 minutes before the train is due near should suffice surely?

This isn’t a one off. It seems to be everytime a train comes, we are sat there 10 minutes plus waiting for a train to come by. Sometimes longer if there’s two of them

To annoy you.

That’s probably the real reason binary

They actually normally only take ten seconds, but your number plate is on an ANPR system that triggers the ten minute timer instead of the 10s one.

I pay a subscription to keep you on the list

To stop this?

@00100001

They actually normally only take ten seconds, but your number plate is on an ANPR system that triggers the ten minute timer instead of the 10s one.

I pay a subscription to keep you on the list

How rude!!!

Well, it's because you keep doing things like calling me rude...

You could do an FOI and get the latest risk assessment. There's some examples here - the couple I looked at were pedestrian ones.

www.networkrail.co.uk/who-we-are/transparency-and-ethics/freedom-of-information-foi/disclosure-log/

@00100001

Well, it's because you keep doing things like calling me rude...

Do you have a name you prefer to be called?

There is a level crossing near me where the cars have to negotiate a steep hill and a tight bend , I often we learned drivers been taken along that route.
The get to practice using a level crossing, hill starts and blind corners all at once , poor sods !

It's the safe time to stop the train if the barrier fails to close the road.

The alternative is unthinkable, and what DC would see if there was a train/vehicles collision in the centre of town is far far worse than a few minutes hold up to the school run. Not to mention his long that road would be closed for whilst emergency services, incident inspectors, HSE and clean up crews do their stuff.

(I thought you meant goods train - as opposed to the bars train which takes all the naughty people)

Because people ignore the warning lights etc and also still try to cross when barriers are lowering or go around barriers that cover only the left side (to allow anyone on the crossing to exit)

Trains come at high speed, need distance to stop and also need clearance to go through each stretch of track

The crossing needs to be closed and cleared before the train has clearance to come through.

Our trains generally travel between 60mph and 125mph

At those speeds in the 10 minutes they could be passing between 6 and 13 miles

Their stopping distances were subject to a parliamentary question - 816metres to 2,568metres
Half a mile to over one and a half miles
Those are only the braking distance, so you need to add the drivers thinking time - and also the thinking time and communication time of someone to warn of an unclear crossing
(Unless you will only rely on automatic signalling - in which case they have to be at a point to see the signal)

Within a five minute allowance of dropping the gate the train could very much go straight through an obstruction of someone chancing it to ignore the lights and barrier
Ten minutes gives a safety window to close and ensure a clear crossing

api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/2002/nov/21/diesel-trains-stopping-distances

but it’s just annoying because everyone is in a rush to get where they need to go, but no one can mode because of this bloody track

As my dear old dad used to say "it's better to arrive at your destination late, than the undertakers early"

Because if there's a crash or other incident on the line it can take a couple of miles for a train to stop. Didn't help in this incident though. Thankfully the train missed the van, barely.

@Soubriquet. Your majesty will suffice.

[quote 00100001]@Soubriquet. Your majesty will suffice.[/quote]
I choose not to dignify that with an answer

I used to regularly drive over a level crossing with no gates. Really hated it. There were lights but I was terrified they weren't working.

10 minute wait actually seems more dangerous... people getting complacent and risking it.