Part 9: Level crossings

Last updated: December 2008. This document ceases to be a controlled document when printed. Please refer to the current version at www.landtransport.govt.nz

4  Traffic signs

4.3  Signs used at level crossings

Signs installed at level crossings (ie adjacent to or within the railway corridor) are the responsibility of the rail access provider in consultation with the road controlling authority.

Table 4.1  List of signs used at level crossings

Sign code	Sign type	TCD Rule
RP1	Stop	R2-1
RP2	Give Way	R2-2
WX6	Crossbuck standard	W15-3
WX61	Crossbuck with target board	W15-3.1
WX62	Crossbuck with target board - private level crossing
WX63	Crossbuck plus ‘[number of] Tracks’ with target board - private level crossing
WX7[n]	Supplementary ‘[number of] Tracks’	W15-4
AX11	Bells Off	A40-2
RP61	Stop On Red Signal	R2-6
WX8	Look For Trains	W15-7
	Pole used for sign, signal or barrier arm assemblies
RPB	Barrier arms	R3-14
RPX1	Level crossing Flashing Light assembly	R2-11.1
RPX2	Level crossing Stop assmembly	R2-11.2
RPX3	Level crossing Give Way assembly	R2-11.3
RPX4	Private level crossing Stop assembly
RPX5	Private level crossing Give Way assembly
AX12	Railway Not In Use	A40-4

4.3.1  Stop (RP1) or Give Way (RP2)

Policy: A ‘Stop’ (RP1) sign is installed as part of an RPX2 or RPX4 assembly, and a ‘Give Way’ (RP2) sign as part of an RPX3 or RPX5 assembly, at level crossings not controlled by signals or permanent level crossing keepers. The decision as to whether a Give Way or Stop sign is appropriate is primarily based on the view lines available at a level crossing determined by applying the criteria described in Appendix B.

The minimum requirement on any approach to a level crossing is a Give Way control.

• If the approach visibility (S₂) can be met, a Give Way sign must be installed.
• If the approach visibility (S₂) cannot be met but the restart view (S₃) can be met, a Stop sign is installed.
• If the approach visibility (S₂) and the restart view (S₃) cannot be met, the crossing will need to be carefully assessed to determine whether active control is justified or changes to the operating conditions (eg restriction on road or rail speeds, limitations on vehicle length) need to be imposed.

Note: until a level crossing has been surveyed and assessed using ALCAM, the existing view line criteria described in ONTRACK’s G417 document (previously also incorporated in MOTSAM Volume I, appendix A4) will apply.

Location: See details in section 4.3.12 in relation to RPX2 and RPX3 assemblies.

4.3.2  Crossbuck (WX6 or WX61)

Policy: Level crossing position indicators or ‘crossbuck’ signs must be installed at all level crossings. Wherever possible, they should be installed as part of RPX1, RPX2 or RPX3 assemblies.

Installation of a ‘Crossbuck’ (WX6) sign in an RPX1 assembly (ie on poles also mounted with flashing lights and bells – FLB – or half-arm barriers – HAB), while highly desirable, may be impractical in some cases because the existing poles could require major base stabilisation work. Additional offsets can also be necessary to avoid fouling a raised barrier arm. Crossbuck signs may, in these circumstances, be mounted on a separate white pole as near as possible to the position indicated for RPX1 signs (figures A6, A7 and A8). Special care will be required to ensure that the visibility of the flashing lights is not obstructed in any way. Where necessary, the crossbuck sign may be mounted at a lower level, or even on the right-hand side of the approach road, to ensure they are clearly visible to approaching drivers.

Where increased conspicuity is required, the crossbuck (WX6) sign may be mounted on a red retroreflective target board (WX61), to make it more effective when viewed against a visually complex background or a background that is of light colour for a substantial proportion of the time.

The size of the crossbuck (WX6 or WX61) sign should be determined from table 4.2.

Table 4.2  Sign size WX6

Speed limit (km/h)	Sign size
rural (≥70 km/h)	Standard WX6 (boards 1500 mm wide x 300 mm high) must be used on all rural roads
urban (<70 km/h)	Standard WX6 should normally be used in all situations but a smaller sign (boards 1000 x 200 mm) may be used at restricted sites

4.3.3  Crossbuck for private level crossings (WX62 or WX63)

Policy: Where a private level crossing operates with low road speeds and has a narrow, unsealed road formation, some reduction in the size of the crossbuck can be justified. The ‘crossbuck for private level crossings’ (WX62 or, where there is more than one railway line, WX63) may be installed alone or preferably above either a ‘Stop’ (RP1) or ‘Give Way’ (RP2). The use of either an RP1 or RP2 sign is based on the sight lines at the level crossing as described at section 4.3.1.

4.3.4  Tramway crossbuck (WXT)

Policy: Where a tramway crosses a road and the trams that use it have ‘right of way’, similar standards to those applying to railway level crossings apply. In these cases, the standard crossbuck (WX6 or WX61) is replaced by a ‘Tramway crossbuck’ (WXT or WXT1) sign. See also section 12.

4.3.5  ‘[number of] Tracks’ (WX7[n])

Policy: An appropriate ‘[number of] Tracks’ sign must be added to RPX1, RPX2 or RPX3 assemblies and incorporated into a WX63 ‘private level crossing crossbuck’ where more than one railway line is crossed. The WX7[n] is never installed separately.

Sign size: Sign size is determined by the size of the ‘Crossbuck’ (WX6) used, as indicated in table 4.3.

Table 4.3  Sign combinations

Size of ‘Crossbuck’ (WX6)	Size ‘[number of] Tracks’ (WX7[n]) sign
board 1000 x 150 mm	280 mm high
board 1500 x 200 mm	420 mm high

4.3.6  Bells Off (AX11)

4.3.7  Stop on Red Signal (RP61)

4.3.8  Look For Trains (WX8)

4.3.9  Poles used for mounting signals, barrier arms and signs

Poles used for mounting signals should have reflectorised red and white alternate bands at least 225 mm wide. Poles used to mount signs at level crossings may have similar reflectorised red and white alternate bands but, if not, the pole should be painted white.

Most new barrier arms are mounted on separate posts behind but in line with the RPX1 assembly. A separate pole is used because:

1. it is not practical to mount the flashing signals and WX6 sign on the same pole because of the required angle for the signals and sign; or
2. the barriers have been added to an existing FLB installation.

When the barrier is on a separate pole, the barrier pole is seldom visible to motorists from a distance and thus there is little value in installing reflectorised bands.

4.3.10  Barrier arms

Policy: A barrier arm must have:

• on the front (traffic side), a strip 50 mm high of alternate red (280 mm wide) and white (180 mm wide) retroreflective markers; and
• on the reverse (rail side), a pattern of in-line, equally spaced red (50 mm high, 280 mm wide) retroreflective markers – at least
  • three (on arms up to 10 m long); or
  • five (for arms greater than 10 m long).

Any area of the arm not covered by the markers must be white.

Barrier arms should be extended to the centreline of the road.

All parts of the barrier arm or, depending on the skew of the railway line relative to the road, the barrier counterweight must be at least 1.7 m from the nearest rail.

4.3.11  Level crossing flashing light assembly (RPX1)

Policy: A basic ‘Level crossing flashing light assembly’ (RPX1) consists of a ‘Crossbuck’ (WX6) sign mounted above the signal head on a signal or barrier pole. The pole forms part of the assembly. A supplementary ‘[number of] Tracks’ (WX7[n]) sign must be added at level crossings with more than one railway line.

An optional ‘Stop On Red Signal’ (RP61) sign may be added to emphasise the requirement for drivers to stop when the level crossing flashing lights are operating. A ‘Stop On Red Signal’ (RP61) sign should only be used when a history of non-compliance exists at the level crossing.

If the bells are turned off at night, a ‘Bells Off’ (AX11) sign must be installed (see section 4.3.6).

Where increased conspicuity is required, the ‘Crossbuck’ (WX6) sign may be changed to a ‘Crossbuck with target board’ (WX61) to make it more effective (see section 4.3.2).

No other signs may be attached to an RPX1 assembly or its support.

Location: RPX1 assemblies, normally installed on the left-hand side of the road, must be at least 2.4 m clear of the nearest rail edge (3 m from the nearest railway line centreline). The limit line indicating the point where vehicles must stop if a train is approaching the level crossing should normally be installed 2 m in advance of the RPX1 assembly.

RPX1 assemblies should be clearly visible to approaching drivers for a distance of at least 120 m on rural roads and at least 60 m on urban roads. The assembly may be placed on the right-hand side if the visibility cannot be achieved by installing it on the left-hand side and may be duplicated where the geometry means drivers approaching will benefit.

Where there are two or more traffic lanes on approaches to level crossings controlled by flashing light signals, a second RPX1 sign combination should, if practicable, be installed on any median island (see figure A8) or on the right-hand side of the road.

Sign size and detail: The normal, larger-sized ‘Crossbuck’ (WX6) and ‘[number] of Tracks’ (WX7[n]) signs should be used in the RPX1 assembly in most situations. However, in restricted sites on urban roads, the smaller sizes of the WX6 and WX7[n] signs may be used (see section 4.3.2 and section 4.3.5).

The gap between individual signs on the RPX1 assembly should be approximately 100 mm.

Support poles for the assembly must be fully retroreflectorised with alternate 225 mm wide bands of red and white, as described in section 4.3.9.

4.3.12  Standard level crossing Stop (RPX2) or Give Way (RPX3) assemblies

Policy: A standard ‘Level crossing Stop assembly’ (RPX2) consists of a ‘Crossbuck’ (WX6) mounted above a ‘Stop’ (RP1) sign, while a ‘Level crossing Give Way assembly’ (RPX3) consists of a ‘Crossbuck’ (WX6) mounted above a ‘Give Way’ (RP2) sign. A supplementary ‘[number of] Tracks’ (WX7[n]) sign is added at level crossings with multiple railway lines. An optional ‘Look For Trains’ (WX8) sign may be added to emphasise the requirement for drivers to check for oncoming trains. The pole used to mount these signs is part of the assembly and may have reflectorised red and white alternate bands at least 225 mm wide (see section 4.3.9).

Where increased conspicuity is required, the ‘Crossbuck’ (WX6) sign may be changed to a ‘Crossbuck with target board’ (WX61) to make it more effective (see section 4.3.2).

No other sign may be attached to an RPX2 or RPX3 assembly.

Location: RPX2 and RPX3 assemblies, normally installed on the left-hand side of the road, must be at least 2.4 m clear of the nearest rail edge (3 m from the nearest railway line centreline). The limit line indicating the point where vehicles must stop if a train is approaching the level crossing should normally be installed 2 m in advance of the RPX2 or RPX3 assembly.

RPX2 and RPX3 assemblies should be clearly visible to approaching drivers for a distance of at least 120 m on rural roads and at least 60 m on urban roads. The assembly may be placed on the right-hand side if the visibility cannot be achieved by installing it on the left-hand side and may be duplicated where the geometry means drivers approaching will benefit.

Where a level crossing on a side road is within 30 m of the through road, the RPX2 or RPX3 assembly must be installed on both sides of the road and oriented toward approaching drivers (see examples for an RPX3 assembly in figures A9.1 and A9.2).

Sign size and detail: The normal, larger-sized ‘Crossbuck’ (WX6) and ‘[number] of Tracks’ (WX7[n]) signs should be used in the RPX2 and RPX3 assemblies in most situations. However, in restricted sites on urban roads, the smaller sizes of the WX6 and WX7[n] signs may be used (see sections 4.3.2 and 4.3.5).

The minimum sizes for the ‘Stop’ (RP1) on the RPX2 and ‘Give Way’ (RP2) on the RPX3 assembly are given in table 4.4.

Table 4.4  Minimum sizes for ‘Stop’ (RP1) or ‘Give Way’ (RP2) signs on RPX2 OR RPX3 assemblies

Road operating speed V85 (km/h)	Minimum sign size (mm)
	Stop (RP1)	Give Way (RP2)
< 70	675 X 675	750 x 865
70-100	845 x 845	900 x 1040
> 100	1015 x 1015	1200 x 1385

The gap between individual signs on the RPX2 assembly should be approximately 100 mm.

4.3.13  Private level crossing Stop (RPX4) or Give Way (RPX5) assemblies

Policy: The policy for the use of private level crossing assemblies is described in section 10.

4.3.14  Railway Not In Use (AX12)

Policy: (See also section 2.7 - Out-of-service railway lines.) Where a railway line ceases to be used and the period of disuse is likely to be of sufficient duration, the road controlling authority must clarify the status of the level crossings to ensure appropriate and safe use by road users. The road controlling authority should only proceed when they have received formal notification that the railway line is out of use and is unlikely to be used for a specified period.

All regulatory signs, ie Give Way (RPX3), Stop (RPX2) and flashing light (RPX1) assemblies, relating to the level crossing should be removed on all road approaches to the disused railway line and a ‘Railway Not In Use’ (AX12) sign installed at the former positions of the regulatory signs. In the case of flashing light assemblies, the signal heads must be hooded or turned from view as an alternative to immediate removal.

All permanent warning signs and markings relating to the level crossing should be removed on all approaches to the disused railway line.

‘Railway Not In Use’ (AX12) signs, maintained by the road controlling authority, should remain in place until the railway lines have been sealed over or removed from the roadway or the railway line reopened.

The railway lines at any level crossing must not be sealed over without the explicit written permission of the railway access provider.

Gates could be installed across the railway line to reaffirm the railway line is disused. Installation is subject to agreement between the rail access provider and the road controlling authority. If installed, the gates should be installed a sufficient distance from the level crossing to allow a rail service vehicle to stop clear of the roadway while the gate is opened or closed, yet remain in clear view of drivers approaching the disused level crossing.

The road controlling authority may not carry out any work within the railway corridor, including installation of the ‘Railway Not In Use’ (AX12) signs or any gate that is installed, without the explicit written permission of the railway access provider.

The former level crossing remains as railway corridor until the land on either side of the road is released from railway designation.

If the railway access provider intends reopening the railway line, the road controlling authority must be given advance notice (at least four weeks) and the ‘Railway Not In Use’ (AX12) sign must be removed and regulatory signs (depending on available sight distances) must be installed before the level crossing is reopened to rail traffic. Note that, for this purpose, the use of the railway line by hi-rail or similar vehicles used for inspection and any routine maintenance of the disused railway line or rail corridor does not constitute a reopened railway line.

The installation of regulatory signs located at, and within, the railway corridor at any reopened level crossing remains the primary responsibility of the railway access provider in conjunction with the road controlling authority.

Once notified that the level crossing is to be reopened, the road controlling authority is responsible for the installation of standard permanent warning signs and markings outside the railway corridor.

< previous | next >