Maintenance of Railway Level Crossings

Maintenance of Level Crossings

Level crossings and their approaches require special attention from the permanent way staff because of the change in track structure that occurs at these locations. The following points need to be particularly addressed.

(a)  Each level crossing should be opened out and the condition of the sleepers, fittings, rails, and fastenings inspected at least once a year and given the requisite attention.

(b) The gates and signal discs should be painted at regular intervals.

(c)  All trees, bushes, or undergrowth that interfere or tend to interfere with the view from the railway track or the roadway at the approaches to level crossings should be cut down while taking care that the safety of the track is not jeopardized.

(d) The following components of the track require special checking and attention during routine inspections of level crossings.

(i)  The top table of the running rail and the check rail should be in the same plane.

(ii)  The gauge should be in order. The approaches to level crossings should be well packed.

(iii) The road surface of the level crossing should be properly levelled, watered, and rammed. The gradients of the approaches to level crossings should not be steeper than specified.

(iv) The clearances between check rails and the depth of the check blocks should be scrutinized by inspecting officials. The flanges of check rails should be kept clear of dust, musk, etc. The clearances of these check rails should be as given in Table 23.2.

Table 23.2   Clearances for check rails

(v) The whistle boards and stop boards provided on the approaches to level crossings should be well maintained.

(vi) It should be ensured that the flank fencing provided at a distance of 15 m (50 ft) on either side of level crossings should be in good condition. The gate stoppers should be in working order.

(vii)All equipment and registers should be well maintained and available at the level crossing.