Level crossing safety
The situational picture examines the safety of level crossings. The data are primarily updated once a year. The information is produced by the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom.
A positive trend in level crossing safety continued. There were 11 level crossing accidents in 2024, which is the smallest annual number of these accidents in the monitoring history. Another positive finding in addition to this achievement was that 2024 was the first year with no fatalities in level crossing accidents. Personal injuries were not avoided altogether, however, as one person sustained serious and six persons minor injuries in level crossing accidents in 2024. Apart from one, the level crossing accidents occurred on the state-owned railway network.
Level crossing accidents in 2024 mainly occurred on routes with large numbers of passive level crossings and where railcars are used. With one exception, the accidents occurred at passive level crossings, and railcars were involved in seven level crossing accidents.
In all level crossing accidents leading to personal injuries, the other party to the accident was a road vehicle (passenger car, truck or ambulance). Apart from one, all persons injured in level crossing accidents were either drivers or passengers of a road vehicle. One railcar passenger also sustained minor injuries.
In addition to the cases discussed above, two level crossing accidents not included in the statistics took place at level crossings with restricted use (including some port or factory areas). At the overpass of Kurkimäki round timber loading site, a shunting composition pushing empty timber wagons collided with the trailer of an articulated timber truck that was crossing an overpass. The shunting foreman who had been directing the shunting composition died in the accident. Another case not included in the statistics was a collision between a locomotive and a van in a factory area that resulted in minor material damage.
The railway infrastructure manager, i.e. the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, plays a key role in improving the safety of level crossings. Efforts to improve level crossing safety have in recent years focused on the programme for removing and improving level crossings launched in 2018. This programme is led by the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, and Traficom’s role is to approve rail plans for the removal of level crossings. In addition to the level crossing programme, safety at level crossings has been improved in connection with other projects and through track maintenance measures. According to the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, 81 level crossings were removed, the safety of 19 level crossings was improved, and warning systems were added to four level crossings in 2024.
A register-based study on the status of level crossings commissioned by the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency was completed in 2024. The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency also published two guidelines related to level crossings as well as level crossing principles that guide the removal and improvement measures of level crossings and the Agency's work in level crossing matters.
A three-year level crossing campaign led by the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency was launched in June 2024 to remind road users of safe action at level crossings. The campaign strives to reach road users through a number of channels (social media, cinemas, radio, etc.) using slightly different campaign materials (Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency).