A Study on Headways and Saturation Flow Rates of Vehicles Passing Stop Line of Railway Crossings

Abstract

Based on the studies that have shown a decreasing trend in the saturation flow rates at signalized intersections in recent years, there is a possibility that this trend is also occurring at railway crossings. Therefore, in this study, we observed the headways of vehicles passing the stop line at gated and signalized railway crossings. We also calculated the saturation flow rates and compared them with previous studies. The observed average headway at signalized railway crossings remains relatively constant from the fourth departure position onwards, similar to signalized intersections. On the other hand, at gated railroad crossings, the average headways remain consistent regardless of the departure order. Additionally, the saturation flow rates were determined to be 600-670 vehicles per hour of gate being open at gated railway crossings and around 1,500 vehicles per hour of green at signalized railway crossing. These represent a decrease of approximately 25 to 35% in the former and 8% in the latter compared to the saturation flow rates in previous studies.