Tag:railway=level_crossing

A level crossing (where a road crosses a railway on the same level; i.e., without a bridge). Some have barriers or gates that are either automatically or manually operated. The automatic ones usually have warning mechanisms: flashing red lights or bells (or both). Some crossings do not have barriers, just the warning lights. Manually operated ones are either operated by the rail company or by the crossing user. If the latter, it may be a requirement to telephone the signal box to check it's safe to cross with a vehicle or farm animals before any gate is opened.

How to map

Use this tag on a node . The node should be the one common to both the highway and the railway.

Additional tags

• crossing:activation=* - the way of operation:
  • crossing:activation=automatic - by treadle or contacts detecting a train
  • crossing:activation=local - locally operated by railway staff (e.g., train conductor)
  • crossing:activation=remote - remotely operated by railway staff (e.g., signalman)
  • crossing:activation=user - operated by users of the highway
• crossing:barrier=* to indicate the type of gates:
  • crossing:barrier=double_half - double half size gates
  • crossing:barrier=full - full size gates
  • crossing:barrier=half - half size gates
  • crossing:barrier=no - no gates
  • crossing:barrier=yes - gates (to use when you do not know a more precise value)
• crossing:bell=yes/no if an acoustic warning is provided
• crossing:light=yes/no to add information about lights
• crossing:on_demand=yes/no the gate opens on demand only
• crossing:saltire=yes/no if there is a warning cross
• crossing:whistle=yes/optional/wayside if the crossing has special rules about trains sounding their horns
• crossing=uncontrolled - no gates, no lights, no bell maybe a warning cross
• maxheight=* - if a max height is signed (sometimes present when the railway is electrified via wires situated overhead, above the tracks)

Regional variations

North America

An exempt crossing is one at which commercial vehicles (goods=*, hgv=*, bus=*, etc.) may proceed without stopping. This is in contrast to normal crossings, at which commercial vehicles and school buses must come to a complete stop before crossing. Exempt crossings are designated based on strict criteria that differ widely by state or province. Some jurisdictions differentiate between exempt and abandoned (disused) crossings. As of 2021, no exempt crossings are known to have been tagged as such, but see this discussion about how to tag them.

Use crossing:whistle=optional to indicate that the crossing is subject to a quiet zone in the US or whistle ban in Canada, exempting trains from the requirement to blow a horn whenever they cross.

See also

• highway=crossing - Where pedestrians may cross a street
• railway=crossing - Where pedestrians may cross a railway
• railway=railway_crossing - Crossing tracks that do not interconnect
• railway=switch - Railway tracks switch
• crossing=* - Further refinement for nodes already tagged with highway=crossing or railway=crossing
• Discussion about crossings of trams in 2017 on the tagging mailing list
• railway=tram_level_crossing - A crossing between a tramway and a road.
• Guidelines for pedestrian navigation

Related terms: ‹ level crossing ›