Railroad-Safe is Solution for Dangerous Rail Crossings

As communities nationwide mark Rail Safety Week, NovoaGlobal’s Railroad-Safe™ system provides the automated enforcement needed to eliminate dangerous gate-running and change behavior at high-risk crossings. Railroad-Safe™ is an advanced highway-rail grade crossing photo enforcement system developed by NovoaGlobal. It explicitly utilizes automated technology to target and change dangerous driver behavior near tracks, supporting international Vision Zerotraffic safety initiatives.

The system stands out through several core technical, regulatory, and operational layers:

⚖️ Targeted Enforcement Statutes

The automated camera tracks violations of specific state and federal rail statutes, including:

  • Driving directly around a lowering or lowered railroad crossing gate arm.
  • Failing to stop the mandatory minimum of 15 feet away from the nearest rail crossing track.
  • Entering a crossing zone when there is insufficient gridlock space to clear the tracks safely on the other side.
  • Identifying commercial trucks and buses that fail to execute federally mandated complete stops at tracks.

📉 High-Profile Deployments & Public Strategy

  • The Brightline Initiative: The technology gained prominent visibility through its contract along Florida’s high-speed rail corridor via Brightline. The tech is robust enough that it was deployed along the Brightline high-speed corridor to catch gate-beaters in high-crash zones.
  • Education First Approach: A municipality can use NovoaGlobal’s specialized back-office system to issue official warning letters to violators. This emphasis on driver re-education has proven highly effective. A study of the approach in Orlando, Florida, was so statistically successful at slashing repeat traffic offenses that it was formally evaluated and presented at federal meetings by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).

🚆 The FRA Presentation on Railroad-Safe

The presentation highlighted by NovoaGlobal stems from a data-driven Vision Zero pilot program conducted alongside municipal partners in Orlando, Florida.

Faced with an increase in dangerous traffic violations that threatened local commuter rail infrastructure, the city deployed NovoaGlobal’s portable, non-intrusive camera arrays. NovoaGlobal used its centralized back-office software to issue official warning letters to registered vehicle owners caught bypassing crossing gates.

The evaluation metrics presented at the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) semi-annual meeting showed a highly successful proof-of-concept:

  • High Recidivism Reduction: The study proved that receiving an automated warning letter heavily altered driver psychology. The vast majority of drivers who received a warning never committed a second railroad crossing violation.
  • Behavior Modification: By proving that a camera system could deter “gate-beaters” without expensive infrastructure integration into the railroad’s own signaling systems, the FRA recognized it as a highly scalable model for municipalities nationwide.

⚙️ Technical Capabilities

  • Independent Tracking: A major operational benefit of Railroad-Safe™ is that it features non-intrusive installation. It operates as a portable or fixed setup that does not require hardwiring directly into the railroad’s internal warning equipment.
  • Data Capture Suite: The program utilizes ultra-high-resolution digital cameras and leading-edge image/video recording systems. It accurately logs license plates and vehicle tag numbers even under challenging lighting or fast-moving conditions.

Contact Us

Interested in using Railroad-Safe photo enforcement in your community? Contact Us: 888-666-4218, Ext. 6 for East Coast and Ext. 7 for West Coast.  We can also be reached at [email protected]