Automated Level Crossings – A futuristic solution enabling Smart City Infrastructure

Around the world, railway tracks pass through villages, towns, cities and metropolises that leads to the problem of ubiquitous Level Crossings (LC) as they transect municipal streets, roads, highways, etc. Real-time train running position, collected through Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites is compared against crossing envelope distance. A PLC based system can be designed, consisting of a receiver, that polls the approaching train data and actuates a motor that closes the gate of an unmanned LC, when train is within the level crossing envelope. This paper presents an integrated solution using existing technologies.