DER BÜ-EXPERTE

LST-Training

eric.schoene — Mon, 04 May 2026 18:58:17 +0000

A seven-day “Design of Level Crossings” course, commissioned by LST-Training, at ETCS-Campus Finsterwalde (2026)

Der Beitrag LST-Training erschien zuerst auf DER BÜ-EXPERTE.

SIGNON Deutschland GmbH

eric.schoene — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:17:01 +0000

Support services for level crossings as part of the Stuttgart Digital Railway Node project, Component 3, commissioned by SIGNON Deutschland GmbH (2026)

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From the perspective of LCs: let’s push ahead with digitalisation!

eric.schoene — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 09:07:46 +0000

Level crossings between railway lines and roads are undoubtedly an anachronism against the backdrop of the transition to digital railway operations. However, the safety and performance of any remaining level crossings should be optimised within the framework of digital railway operations based on the fact that they cannot be completely eliminated in the foreseeable future. This offers considerable potential for improvement, which are discussed in a technical article for the journal Signal+Draht.

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TU Wildau Technical University

ulrike.hoinkis — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 14:15:17 +0000

Lecture on the safety of level crossings within the study program Transportation System Engineering for the Technische Hochschule Wildau Technical University (2025)

Der Beitrag TU Wildau Technical University erschien zuerst auf DER BÜ-EXPERTE.

Lecture at the Level Crossings Conference

ulrike.hoinkis — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 10:11:35 +0000

The 2nd Level Crossings Conference of the Rail.S railway technology cluster (March 25–26, 2025) provided me with the opportunity to talk about the complexity of risk analyses for level crossings at a presentation with the title “High traffic – high risk?”.

Der Beitrag Lecture at the Level Crossings Conference erschien zuerst auf DER BÜ-EXPERTE.

Lecture at the FGSV Symposium

ulrike.hoinkis — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 10:04:34 +0000

At the annual “Road Safety” symposium organized by the FGSV, the German Road and Transportation Research Association, the latest findings in road design, road and traffic planning, and road safety research are presented and discussed. In the spring of 2025, I was given the opportunity to talk about “Level Crossings – Foreign Objects in Two Infrastructure Systems”. I discussed the challenges of this intersection between road and railway and focussed on the road part of the crossings design. The symposium was held in Wuppertal (Feb 17, 2025) and repeated in Weimar (March 31, 2025) to reach audiences all over Germany.

Der Beitrag Lecture at the FGSV Symposium erschien zuerst auf DER BÜ-EXPERTE.

Safety and Risk Analysis

ulrike.hoinkis — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 09:09:02 +0000

Leverage risk analyses for level crossings to either select the necessary safety measures or to determine technical safety targets. They can relate to a single level crossing, a group of level crossings, or an entire railway network.

When selecting safety and protection technologies, especially when choosing the type of protection system, the main focus should be on risks resulting from human error by road users. To this end, you need to model the conditions for road and rail traffic in the surrounding areas as well as human behavior. Meanwhile, when determining technical safety targets, the focus shifts to how protection systems work and what characteristics they have.

I offer the following services related to safety and risk analyses:

Analysis and assessment of the safety of individual level crossings
Modelling of risk factors, including human behavior
Qualitative and quantitative risk analyses for railway networks
Setting safety targets for level crossing safety systems

Der Beitrag Safety and Risk Analysis erschien zuerst auf DER BÜ-EXPERTE.

Support during Safety Inspections of Level Crossings

ulrike.hoinkis — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 09:08:42 +0000

Safety inspections of level crossings are based on the German General Administrative Regulation on Road Traffic Regulations (VwV-StVO) for § 45-3 (in German). They involve a general assessment of the level crossing that goes beyond the mandatory railside and roadside checks and inspections of the infrastructure. In particular, they can be used to identify and eliminate problems that arise from how the two transportation systems interact with each other.

A successful level crossing inspection is always based on careful preparations. Often the time required is underestimated, which can have a negative impact on a diligent inspection. The German BLFA StVO Committee has compiled this guide (in German) for systematic inspections; however, it is considered partially obsolete and its application in some German states is controversial. In this context, it is advisable to seek additional professional help.

I can assist you with the following services regarding level crossing safety inspections:

Preparation, including scheduling and time management
Technical advice during the inspection itself
Mediation if disputes between the participants arise
Follow-up with action tracking

Der Beitrag Support during Safety Inspections of Level Crossings erschien zuerst auf DER BÜ-EXPERTE.

Design of Safety Measures

ulrike.hoinkis — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 09:08:29 +0000

Safety measures may be necessary if local conditions at a level crossing have changed or a dangerous event occurred. Modern regulations already offer a wide range of possible improvements. In individual cases, novel measures may be implemented in consultation with the authorities involved.

Given the complex interrelationships between cause and effect, successful measures are based on a precise analysis of the problem. For example, certain measures that work well for motorized road traffic can actually have a negative impact on the safety of non-motorized road users. Therefore it is advisable to seek professional help.

For designing safety measures, I can assist you with the following services:

Selecting appropriate safety measures
Support during the implementation of the measures
Impact assessment of measures

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Research Assistance and Advice

ulrike.hoinkis — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 09:08:17 +0000

Many questions regarding level crossing safety remain unanswered. For example, it is well known that most accidents are caused by unintended human behavior, but the exact causal relationships remain largely unclear – this makes it harder to develop appropriate safety measures. Accordingly, there is considerable need for research in this area.

I can help you with the following research-related tasks:

Technical assistance during the application phase
Consultations during the project
Support for experiments
Technical review of final reports

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Second Opinion on Planning Solutions

ulrike.hoinkis — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 09:08:04 +0000

The complex and sometimes contradictory requirements for level crossings of road and railway systems often allow for several different planning solutions. This applies in particular to road planning, which can have a significant impact on local conditions: The chosen solution might have a lasting effect on the quality and safety of road traffic. However, it might also cause undesirable restrictions for rail traffic – some of these may only become apparent years later, calling for complex operational regulations to remedy the situation.

To help you gain a comprehensive understanding of the implications and possible alternatives in this conflict of targets, I am happy to provide you with an independent opinion on the current drafts.

I can help you in the following ways with planning solutions:

Review of planning documentation
Discussion of alternative solutions

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Workshops & Seminars

ulrike.hoinkis — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 09:07:50 +0000

Due to the special nature of level crossings, those involved must always take into account the needs of both transportation systems. These include a variety of technical, legal, and organizational specifics that I am teaching in training courses. The focus is always on a perspective that covers all transportation systems in order to facilitate communication between all parties involved.

The target groups for my training courses are primarily employees of engineering firms, infrastructure operators, railway regulatory authorities, road traffic authorities, and the police. The workshops and seminars can be held either at a conference hotel or in-house.

Example Contents for a Basic Course:

Introduction to the special characteristics of level crossings
Requirements and legal basics of level crossing safety in Germany
Technologies for ensuring level crossing safety (focus: types of safety measures)
Interactions with road traffic

Example Contents for an Advanced Course:

Advanced technologies know-how (activation, monitoring, obstacle detection)
Principles and procedures for calculations of visible areas
Principles and procedures for calculations of activation distance
Conflicts in legal norms and their practical resolutions

Example Contents for a Workshop:

Short review of the relevant theory
Measurement and inspection of visible areas using a real-life example
Assessment of the road traffic situation using a real-life example
Discussion of practical problems brought up by participants

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