The Railway Administration records 7,646 level crossings in the Czech Republic. Others are located on different sidings or on mining trails. And we can find interesting crossroads abroad too. In the Polish village of Chalupki near Bohumín, for example, drivers travel on twelve tracks. We mentioned this crossbreeding in a recent article. When you drive from Písek to Putim, instead of the Putim Gate, you will find a crossing with seven tracks. But there are other curiosities about our roads and railways.
An interesting, but rather unpleasant for the driver, is crossing near the roundabout. You will find it in Mladá Boleslav. And in Český Krumlov, instead of the train, a group of tourists sometimes appears at the intersection, slowly shuffling along the tracks on the other side of the road.
Three tracks
At Dolní Skrýchov in Jindřichohradecky motorists cross a single-track line. But there are not just two tracks on the road, but three. This is a so-called railway junction. In addition to standard gauge trains, the legendary narrow gauge local railways of Jindřichhohradec can also run on this route. So that each train does not have to have its own track, one track is shared (right or left depending on the direction of travel) and the other has its own gauge.
Additional tracks
Rainbow of Becena
The Bechyňská duha bridge is the longest railway crossing in the Czech Republic. Furthermore, cars cross the tracks in only one direction. Only cars in the direction of Bechyn must give way to trains, leaving the city is free. The platform is single track, so sometimes the train actually goes in the opposite direction.
The bridge itself is 190 meters long, but the tracks also run a little behind and in front of it, so the total length of the crossing is more than 300 meters. Trains can travel on the bridge at a maximum speed of 10 km/h, while cars or bicycles have a minimum speed of 10 km/h in the lane that runs alongside the tracks. So it shouldn’t happen that the train catches up with cars that are moving too slowly.
The train also ran in Brno. Last year, however, they canceled the siding to the fairgrounds, so the wagons will no longer pass through the streets of the Moravian metropolis. And above all they will not arrive at the fairgrounds, so the fairs will have to do without locomotives, or they will be brought there on a couchette.
While in Brno the train ran on the road only exceptionally, in Linz, Austria, a regular line ran along the Reindlstrasse. It was canceled a few years ago, but in 2013 cars, motorbikes and pedestrians met trains here.
In Cvikov, Germany, trains go downtown along the tram line. Each intersection is also marked as a crossing and equipped with a safety device.
Crossing the bridge
By tram on the tracks
Railway and tram tracks cross each other in Brno and Olomouc. While the tram has priority at the pedestrian crossing, it must wait in line with cars at the pedestrian crossing. In the past trams also waited at the intersection in Palmovce in Prague. Before the closure of the Těšnov station, the train ran along Na Žertvách Street.
The tram going from Krejcárka to Kobylisy or vice versa sometimes got stuck here at the barriers and did not respect the timetable. The suppression of the line was therefore a blessing for trams.
In all these cases, the trams run or ran on a non-electrified track. It would be difficult to cross train and tram lines. For the same reason, trolleybus lines also do not travel on electrified lines. Although such a passage once existed in Krejcárek in Prague. Trolleybuses and electric trains currently meet at an intersection in Prešov, Slovakia.
Passage for trams
Two-legged chariots
This level crossing at the Český Krumlov mine serves trains taking tourists to the graphite mine. Before the intersection there is a switch with which the driver manually activates the traffic lights. When it passes, it turns off the signaling on the other side. Visitors return on foot with a guide. The subway exit is right next to the street. To prevent someone from being hit by a car, a safety device controlled by a switch is once again used. But instead of a car with carts, pedestrians will come out.
Walking instead of the train
Barriers in the room
A psychological thriller could be filmed in the former ČKD-Tatra factory in Zličín in Prague, where trams were once manufactured. The long corridor, which even a truck can travel without problems, is scary. But since it crosses the tracks, there was a crossing here. Today you will no longer encounter railway vehicles, specifically trams, but the barriers here remain.
Crossing under the roof
Junction at the crossroads
Everyone would like to live in České Budějovice… Cimrman’s message may be suitable for those who love picturesque crossroads and crossroads. Not far from the brewery there is an unused and rather neglected junction, which passes through a busy traffic light intersection. Near this intersection there is still an old road sign indicating the junction. While today the crossing with the siding is signposted as a normal crossing, in the past the Other Danger sign was used and the additional sign depicted a steam locomotive. You can still find this brand near the Budejovice brewery.
Dormitories at a crossroads
Gibraltar near Hořovice
A very curious crossing with barriers is in Gibraltar, where you don’t wait for a train to pass, but for a plane to land or take off. The barriers here do not protect the runway, but the runway.
We also have some track crossings here. And we don’t even need barriers. The road passes over the airport runway to Hořovice near Berounsk and then to Velká Dobrá near Kladno. Both airports are used for sport flying. In the 1950s, so-called reserve airports were established. So they have longer runways that could serve fighter planes in case of war. In peacetime, however, the entire length is not used, so the track can be crossed by a road.
By car across the track
Stop, give way to the cable car!
This curious sign is not located at a level crossing, but at the crossing point with the cable car. It is located on the forest road below Komáří vížka, above Krupka in North Bohemia. Log trucks drive down the road. If a semi-truck is heavily loaded, it could hit a log on the seat and injure the occupants. Motorists must therefore look beyond themselves and can only continue their journey when they are convinced that the cable car is not approaching.
Cable car priority
Like a toothpick
In the Swiss Oberwald the road crosses a rack railway. Car tires and gears can’t stand it, so engineers had to find a new solution. The comb with teeth, which is located between the rails, is retractable. When the train passes the teeth disappear under the road. Only then can the barriers be raised.
Zubaka
Crossing the roundabout
The crossing to Mladá Boleslav is curious and somewhat unpleasant for the driver. It’s right next to the intersection. When the lights flash at the intersection, it means that drivers are on the roundabout and blocking it. Reason remains dominant over this idea.
In Bergisch Gladbach, Germany, the tracks are extended directly through the roundabout. Similar to Dejvice in Prague, Kulaťák has a tram and Gladbach has trains. The roundabout with the intersection has become a tourist attraction there.
Roundabout with train
Do you know of similar attractions? Share with us in the discussion.
The rules apply everywhere
Whether it’s a picturesque crossing or an ordinary crossing, it’s always worth paying attention. Regardless of whether the white light flashes or not, the driver must ensure that he can cross the crossing safely. If he doesn’t have enough visibility, he has to stop. He has to do it even though he can already hear a train approaching. The white light allows you to cross the tracks at a speed of 50 km/h. Otherwise, the driver must slow down to 30 km/h. These speed limits apply not only directly at the intersection, but already 50 meters before it.
The rule on the ban on movement at intersections was dropped from the legislation in 1975. The last time was in decree no. 80/1966 Coll.
Crossed numbers
If a car is left stopped at the intersection or if an accident occurs, it is used to easily navigate the number of intersections. These are written on the back of the safety device or on the warning cross. This is actually the serial number of the crossover. Originally the numbering started from number one, but the intersection number P1 in Holešovice in Prague was demolished last year. It will be replaced by a level crossing.
