A train cannot stop or swerve for you. A loaded train at speed can need a kilometre or more to stop, and by the time the driver sees a vehicle on the track it is far too late. Almost every level crossing crash is caused by a road user who tried to beat the train, went round a closing barrier or did not stop to look. The rule is simple: at a level crossing, the train always wins, so the train always goes first.

India Drive Safe rule:
Slow down for every level crossing. Never enter when the gate or barrier is closing or closed, or a red light is showing. At an unmanned crossing, stop, look and listen both ways and cross only when no train is in sight. Never stop on the tracks.

What the law says

  • Trains first: at an unmanned level crossing, trains have priority (Regulation 19 of the Motor Vehicles (Driving) Regulations, 2017).
  • On the approach: slow down, keep to the left, and do not overtake or park within the barriers (Regulation 19(2)).
  • Guarded crossings: do not enter once the gates or barriers have started closing or are closed, or when a red signal is showing (Regulation 19(3)).
  • Unguarded crossings: enter only after making sure no train or other rolling stock is in sight (Regulation 19(4)). Under Section 131 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, every driver must stop at an unguarded crossing; a conductor, cleaner or other person in the vehicle must walk up to the crossing, check that no train is coming from either side and guide the vehicle across, and if no one else is available, the driver must get down and check.
  • Buses and heavy vehicles: buses, school buses, goods vehicles, tractor-trolleys and vehicles carrying hazardous goods must stop at the approach to an unguarded crossing, and an attendant must check and guide them across (Regulation 19(4)).
  • Railways Act, 1989: crossing an unmanned level crossing negligently can mean up to 1 year in prison (Section 161). Opening a closed gate or barrier can mean up to 3 years, and breaking one up to 5 years (Section 160).

Guarded (manned) crossings

  1. Slow down at the level crossing warning sign (Rule 13) and be ready to stop.
  2. If the bell is ringing, the lights are flashing or the barrier is moving down, stop behind the stop line or the barrier. Do not speed up to get through.
  3. Wait patiently. Switch off the engine if the wait is long. Do not zig-zag round a half-barrier or let a two-wheeler duck under it.
  4. After the train passes, wait until the barrier is fully up and the gateman signals. Another train may be coming on the other track.
  5. Cross in your lane, at a steady speed, without changing gear on the tracks if you can avoid it, and do not overtake.

Unmanned crossings

  1. Stop before the crossing, with the windows down and the music off.
  2. Look and listen in both directions, as far as you can see. A distant train is closer and faster than it looks.
  3. In a bus or heavy vehicle, the attendant walks up, checks and guides you across (Section 131).
  4. Cross only when you are sure no train is in sight, and keep going once you start.

Indian Railways has removed most unmanned crossings on its main lines, but some remain on smaller lines, sidings and industrial tracks. Treat any track as live.

Before you cross: make sure you can clear the tracks

  • never drive onto a crossing unless the road on the other side is clear enough for your whole vehicle. In a queue, wait before the crossing, not on it;
  • long vehicles and vehicles with trailers need more time and space to clear; and
  • low vehicles and trailers can ground on a humped crossing. Check the warning signs.

If your vehicle stalls or gets stuck on the tracks

  1. Get everyone out at once and move well away from the track. Do not try to collect belongings.
  2. Move away diagonally, towards the direction a train would come from, so that debris is not thrown at you if the train hits the vehicle.
  3. Warn the gateman if there is one, and call the railway helpline 139 or 112 with the crossing's location or number.
  4. Only if no train is coming and it is clearly safe, try to push the vehicle off, or in a manual car start it in first gear and let it move off the tracks.

Pedestrians and two-wheelers

  • cross only at the crossing, never along the track;
  • do not take a two-wheeler or bicycle under or round a closed barrier. It is illegal and riders are killed this way every year;
  • remove earphones and keep your phone away while you cross; and
  • cycle or walk straight across rails, at a right angle where possible: wheels can slip on or get caught in the rails.

Common mistakes

Racing the closing barrier
Never enter when it starts to close.
Ducking under the barrier
Illegal and often fatal.
Not stopping at an unmanned crossing
Stop, look and listen both ways.
Stopping on the tracks in a queue
Wait until there is room on the other side.
Going as soon as one train passes
A second train may be coming.
Overtaking at the crossing
Not allowed. Keep left in your lane.

Remember

Train always first → barrier closing or red light: stop → unmanned: stop, look, listen, cross only with no train in sight → never stop on the tracks → stuck: everyone out, away diagonally towards the train, call 139 or 112.