Abstract Manager

According to Transport Canada, there are more than 14,000 public and 9,000 private grade crossings along federally regulated railway track in Canada. Urban and economic development drive increased vehicle and rail interactions, including trucks and trains that handle dangerous commodities. Despite investments in risk mitigation, grade crossing accidents remain persistent across Canada, with over 167 Transportation Safety Board-recorded in 2024, above the 10-year average. For various contextual reasons, there are international best practices and technologies for managing crossing safety that differ from Canada’s regulated solutions. Rail and road works have increasingly become difficult to design, authorize, permit, fund and construct.

In this context, it is increasingly essential for governments to fully understand the location of all the grade crossings, their type, geometry, risk exposure to identify proactive and financially efficient solutions protect safety and and trade.

This presentation shares an innovative GIS-based methodology of a study commissioned by the Alberta Ministry of Transportation and Economic Corridors (TEC) to address safety risks and infrastructure needs at road-rail intersections across the province.

The study undertook a comprehensive desktop analysis of over 3,500 crossings province-wide, introducing a dual risk assessment framework that combines traditional traffic volume metrics with contextual risk factors such as geometry, proximity to high-traffic generators, and intersection blockages.

The study also curated international best practice mitigation elements, bundling them into solution packages that were aligned with site-specific risks. Notably, the research illustrated that advanced solutions, such as quad gates with obstacle detection and integrated rail signalization, can deliver safety outcomes comparable to costly grade separations, but at a fraction of the investment.

The outcome of the study allowed for strategic, informed planning discussions to be held, with high-level budget scenarios to be prepared. Though further onsite work is required to validate conditions and finalize solutions, the GIS-based approach allowed for identification of the sites where most attention is warranted.