The barriers at a railway crossing near Vratsa have been broken 116 times since the beginning of the year alone. The data was presented by the Transport Safety Service of the National Company “Railway Infrastructure“ against the backdrop of the serious accident between a train and a heavy truck at another crossing in the area, informs bTV.
The crossing where the violations were reported is located on the international road E79, near the Vratsa bypass. Between 4,000 and 5,000 cars and trucks pass through it every day. It is about a kilometer from the place where a train collided with a truck a few days ago.
The crossing is automatic and has barriers, sound and light signaling. The system is activated when the train reaches sensors located about 1,850 meters on both sides of the crossing. After the signaling is activated, about 6-8 seconds later the barriers are lowered.
About a kilometer before the crossing, there are also pre-crossing traffic lights for trains. When all safety conditions are met, the traffic light starts flashing with a white light, indicating to the driver that the crossing is activated.
If the barrier has not assumed a horizontal position or does not have the necessary light signaling, this means that there is a problem with the facility. In such a case, the train is not given the appropriate signal and it passes through the section at a limited speed - 15 km/h, ready to stop and with a sound signal.
Despite the presence of barriers and signaling, violations are frequent.
“Last year, the barrier was broken by motor vehicles 112 times at this crossing, and so far this year, it has been broken 116 times“, explained Emil Simeonov from the Transport Safety Service at the National Railways.
With each break, a railway infrastructure employee downloads the recordings from the cameras, reviews them and submits the information to the competent authorities. A traffic accident report is drawn up, and the National Railways seeks the costs of restoring the facility from the vehicle's insurer.
The average cost of a barrier break is about 500 euros. Approximately every 10 impacts, the entire barrier structure has to be replaced.
According to Simeonov, the barriers are most often damaged by trucks, but no clear distinction can be made between violations by light and heavy vehicles.
He urged drivers not to underestimate the danger when passing through a crossing with the signaling activated.
“A car weighs about one ton, and a train can weigh up to about 3,000 tons“, Simeonov pointed out. In the section, passenger trains can move at up to 90 km/h, and freight trains – with up to 80 km/h.
“I want to urge drivers not to play Russian roulette, because their chances against the train are very small“, he said.
In the last 10 years, one incident has been registered at this particular crossing, in which there were no deaths or injuries. However, about 48 trains pass through it per day.
The data on the repeated crossing of lowered barriers raises the question of whether only the installation of restrictive systems is sufficient to prevent violations. According to representatives of the railway infrastructure, in the event of any violation, information from video surveillance is provided to the competent authorities.