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Pictured at the reveal of the specially liveried vans are Tom Heffernan, Road Fleet Manager, Iarnród Éireann and Éamonn Ballance, Iarnród Éireann Director Infrastructure Manager

Iarnród Éireann / Irish Rail is responsible for the management and safety of over 900 level crossings on the Irish railway network. These level crossings range in types but can be broadly broken down into two main groups – Attended and Unattended. Each level crossing type has its own unique protection arrangements and safety enhancements, but they all fundamentally come down to good user behaviour and compliance. Recent trends have shown (post-COVID19 lockdown) that there has been an increase in Commercial Vehicle strikes of barriers at the CCTV type level crossings, which are generally located on the National Primary routes. There is also an increase in Red Light running at the same locations. Iarnród Éireann is a corporate member and supporter of the Global Level Crossing Network (GLCN). One of its initiatives is the annual International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD). To mark this day on 9 June last, Iarnród Éireann in conjunction with An Garda Síochána, the Road Safety Authority with the support of local authorities, undertook safety awareness information sessions at a number of level crossings on the Iarnród Éireann network throughout the day.

To further highlight the issue and occasion as well as increasing public awareness around Level Crossing Safety, Iarnród Éireann has commissioned a number of its Engineering Road fleet vehicles to have a special custom wrap applied, displaying key safety messages. These vehicles were launched on the day and introduced into the engineering road fleet in the urban centres where the high usage level crossings are located.

The key messages on these vans are: “Level Crossings – One of the most important STOPS of the day” and “At Level Crossings Always Stop when Lights Show”. “Two simple messages that are clearly covered in the ‘Rules of the Road’, and are vital for the safe operation of our national railway and the travelling public! But as upwards trends are showing, some of commercial vehicle drivers chose to ignore these instructions!,’ explained Frank Golden, Senior Technical Executive, Track & Structures Technical Support at Iarnród Eireann. During May Iarnród Eireann took delivery of four Ford Transit Crew-cab panel vans, which are used to transport personal and equipment to various sites around the Irish railway network. “The safety culture firmly established within Iarnród Éireann doesn’t just start when the employees get to site. This starts when they sit into these vehicles that transport them,” said Thomas Heffernan, Road Fleet Manager, Iarnród Eireann. Over the years, Iarnród Eireann has invested significantly in vehicle safety and technology. By providing safer vehicles for both its employees and factoring in other road users, the safety message starts before the work commences. Safety measures and features on these vehicles include:–

n Pre collision assist

n Reversing cameras n Intelligent adaptive cruise control n Lane departure warning with lane keeping assist n Speed sign recognition n Telematics GPS systems

“To support these vehicles safety fittings, we also have external safety elements. All of our commercial vehicles are branded with high diamond grade rear chevrons, with flashing amber LED lights front and rear, and a little unknow feature that would generally go unnoticed is the black Iarnród Éireann branding on the vehicle is reflective in darkness and can be seen from front, rear and sides. Visibility of our vehicles is extremely important for when they are parked track side, at railway bridges or at level crossings,” added Thomas.

“Working with conversion partner, we have bespoke fit out installed in each vehicle. These kit outs are unique to each vehicles assigned task, and require a unique element of storage. Normal shelving that we would fit to other vehicles would not be suitable for these particular vehicles, the maintenance and upkeep of the railway infrastructure require specialised tools and equipment, as these are high value items they must be secured and stored in individual bespoke holders and custom made units unique to each piece of equipment.” “We hope that these important safety messages displayed on these vans will help to remind road users as they traverse our national road network,” concluded Frank.