System Simulation of Dual-Gate At-Grade Railroad-Highway Crossings: Development and Verification

Abstract

A simulation model of a dual-gate railroad-highway grade crossing was developed, validated, and applied to six crossings on the Chicago–St. Louis High Speed Passenger Rail Corridor. Simulation was used to demonstrate the feasibility of modeling the interaction of active safety devices, driver behavior, and vehicular and train traffic, and the dual-gate model served as the basis for development of a four-quadrant gate simulation model. Findings from the dual-gate simulation indicate that aggressive or inattentive drivers in the nonrecovery zone frequently exceed stopping distances and more beyond gate arms, and therefore are likely to proceed at high risk of a collision between their vehicle and a train.