Level Crossing 2.0 – Innovative, reliable and cost-effective for regional railways

ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG is looking for innovative solutions to upgrade railway crossings on regional lines from non-technically secured (stop sign) to technically secured (warning light system, with barriers if necessary) crossings rapidly and cost-effectively. The aim is to enhance traffic safety while enabling implementation without extensive construction work.

Current systems for securing railway crossings predominantly rely on wired technologies. This results in high investment and construction costs, especially when installing sensors at a considerable distance from the crossing. Additionally, there is potential to optimise existing safety-relevant technologies as well structural components.

Activation Sensor Technology
Present solutions require complex wiring, particularly because sensors must be installed far from the crossing to account for the long braking distances of trains. This leads to high costs and lengthy construction times. What is sought is robust sensor technology that can be retrofitted simply and quickly, ideally operating wirelessly and autonomously, to significantly reduce costs and effort.

Warning Light System and Barriers
Once a train is detected by the sensor technology, warning lights and, where required, barriers are activated. After the train has passed, automatic resetting occurs. While this technology is well established, improvements in terms of cost, maintenance and efficiency are desirable.

Monitoring Station
Continuous monitoring of functionality is essential. In the event of a malfunction, either the train driver must be immediately notified via a signal, or processes must be triggered by remote monitoring. Secure communication, clear escalation mechanisms, and reliable error detection are necessary. Although existing systems are highly reliable, there is a need for cost-efficient and simplified solutions.

Communication
Current systems are fully wired. When the sensor technology, warning light system/barriers, and monitoring station are located far apart, solutions are needed for stable, secure and low-latency wireless communication. These should be energy-efficient, fail-safe, and easy to integrate into existing systems.

Rail Crossing Surface
Current rail crossing surfaces are expensive, sometimes complicated to install, and, in some systems, must be renewed following maintenance work (such as tamping). There is a need for a modular system that can be installed quickly and procured more economically.

What solutions are available to upgrade railway crossings from a non-technically secured (stop sign) to a technically secured (warning light system) crossing in a cost-effective, quick, and safe manner to advance the modernization of regional railways?

As part of the modernization of regional railways, previously non-technically secured railway crossings (stop sign) are to be upgraded to technically secured systems with warning lights and, if needed, barriers. The objective is to achieve a standard that ensures maximum safety with minimal effort.

Desired solution approaches would include:

Activation Sensors:
A sensor solution that reliably detects trains even under adverse weather conditions and can be easily retrofitted without extensive construction work. Stable and secure data transmission ensures correct functionality at all times.

Warning Light System and Barriers:
Systems that are compact, low-maintenance, and flexible enough to adapt to different types of crossings. As a train approaches, warning lights and barriers should be activated in timeously and automatically, flawlessly, and safely reset after the train has passed.

Monitoring Station:
An intelligent remote monitoring system continuously checks the status of the entire installation and reacts immediately in the event of a malfunction. Automated notifications to operations centers or direct signals to the train driver ensure high availability and rapid troubleshooting.

Communication:
A solution that enables stable, secure, and low-latency wireless data transmission between sensors, warning light systems/barriers, and the monitoring station, even over long distances. It should be energy-efficient, failsafe, and easy to integrate into existing systems.

Rail Crossing Surface:
A new rail crossing surface system that allows quick installation, both during initial setup and for temporary removals. It reduces life-cycle costs and ensures safety for road users and pedestrians, as well as providing the durability required for road traffic.

The goal of the challenge is to find solutions that make the upgrade of railway crossings significantly more cost-effective and faster, without compromising safety. The ideal outcome is a modern, reliable, low-maintenance, and flexible railway crossing that meets all required standards while minimizing investment and operational effort.

Companies are particularly encouraged to submit innovative and "out-of-the-box" approaches that deliberately question existing regulations and standards to open up new possibilities for the safety and efficiency of railway crossings.

Non-goals:
• Solutions that are installed on the train itself to detect, locate, and track its position in real time,
• Solutions that merely shift the safety problem to road traffic—such as underpasses or overpasses, speed bumps, road markings, or other purely road-based measures.

Companies, start-ups, and research institutions are invited to submit their concepts, prototypes, or solution approaches. Please provide a brief description of the solution, the added value for safety and cost, as well as initial indications regarding technical feasibility.

Companies are to submit by 24.February 2026 via the online submission form:

Description:
The focus of the description should align with the evaluation criteria. Convince us with use cases and references.

Summary of Added Value:
Highlight your unique selling point and key advantages! What makes your solution particularly innovative? What distinguishes it?

Confidential Information (for jury only):
This information can be submitted confidentially via the platform. You may enter additional information in this field that you wish to share exclusively with the project managers. Alternatively, you can send a PDF by email to the moderators of the challenge.

Additionally, a title image is required. This will serve as your visual showcase in the overview of submissions for this challenge.

If necessary you may also attach a file. This file should supplement the text fields in the submission form but not replace or repeat them! Use the attachment, for example, for graphics.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Consortium submissions are possible. Please be concise (guideline: maximum 10–12 presentation slides or 4–5 DIN A4 pages). We are in the market exploration phase with this challenge. Therefore, it is not necessary to prepare drafts or feasibility studies specifically for this occasion.