Given the significant increase in incidents at railway crossings in recent years, the Transport Accident and Incident Investigation Bureau has initiated an investigation into railway crossing safety. As part of this initiative, the Bureau invites cooperation from all municipalities in Latvia to identify the most problematic railway crossings within their territories and collaborate with all stakeholders to explore options for enhancing their safety.
Jāzeps Luksts, Head of the Railway Accident Investigation Division of the Transport Accident and Incident Investigation Bureau, explains: "Currently, Latvia has more than 500 railway crossings with various functionalities and traffic volumes. During this initiated investigation, we primarily plan to evaluate those crossings already experiencing the highest number of incidents or those posing significant potential risks. We consider it essential to take into account the needs and habits of residents—both pedestrians and drivers—when crossing railway tracks. Therefore, we have reached out to Latvian municipalities, encouraging their involvement in assessing railway crossing safety, and where necessary, engaging local community representatives. Additionally, we will collaborate with the crossing owners—State Joint Stock Company "Latvijas dzelzceļš," State Ltd. "Latvijas Valsts ceļi," and other involved parties."
Within the railway crossing safety investigation framework, the Transport Accident and Incident Investigation Bureau will analyze regulatory frameworks, equipment and technical conditions of road and railway crossings, traffic organization, and other relevant factors to identify accident causes and provide recommendations to responsible parties for enhancing railway and road traffic safety.
The Bureau also encourages all residents who regularly use railway crossings as drivers or pedestrians or who live nearby to share information about observed incidents and their potential causes by emailing: pasts@taiib.gov.lv.
The Transport Accident and Incident Investigation Bureau is a state administrative institution overseen by the Minister of Transport. Its primary objective is to carry out state administrative functions related to investigating civil aviation accidents and incidents, railway traffic accidents, and maritime accidents and incidents.