Správa železnic will start measuring track level between level crossings and roadway

“The causes of the railway accident in Dolní Lutyně are now being investigated by the police and Drážní inspekce (Rail Safety Inspectorate) is also carrying out its own investigation into this unfortunate event. It would therefore be premature to draw any conclusions about causes or culprits now. However, what we can do now, without waiting for the results of investigation, is to check at level crossings whether the height ratios between the track and the road surface comply with the regulations,” said Minister of Transport Martin Kupka.

Správa železnic follows the approved project, which complies with the valid standards, for each construction intervention in a level crossing. Beyond its own duties, it now also pays special attention to the vicinity of level crossings on corridors that could be problematic for the operation of some road vehicles, especially lorries. In the event of discovering non-conformities of the track levels with valid technical standards, Správa železnic will contact the owners of communications with a call for a solution and will discuss traffic measures together with the road administration authority.

However, a significant complication is the differing ownership of the land. While the area between the barriers is owned by Správa železnic, the surrounding land belongs in most cases to the regions or the municipalities. In some cases, the road and the land on which it lies may have different owners. “Differing ownership of land at level crossings is a real problem. Therefore, we want to initiate negotiations with all those affected by possible ground communications modifications in order to find a common solution and achieve a remedy,” said Jiří Svoboda, Director General of Správa železnic. According to him, mutual cooperation should be supported primarily by a common interest, namely increased safety.

After the inspection, Správa železnic will inform the Ministry of Transport about the results and together they will agree on the further progress. This includes the continuation of control at other high-risk crossings. The Ministry of Transport will also revise the current legislative status of permitting excessive transportation on ground communications over level crossings.

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