Transport Canada is committed to reducing the number of injuries and fatalities that occur every year at Canada’s railway grade crossings. To this end, the department works closely with railway companies to identify grade crossings that require safety improvements.

Through the Grade Crossing Improvement Program, the department funds up to 80% of safety enhancement costs at approximately 80 - 100 sites across the country, an annual investment of up to $7.5 million.

Funds are allocated based on a number of factors such as the volume of road and rail traffic, the adequacy of sightlines along the road approach to a crossing and any previous accident history.

While any work that improves the safety of a public crossing, including closure or relocation, is eligible for a contribution, the crossing must also have been in existence for public use for at least three years.

Railway crossings are identified for proposed safety enhancements in a variety of ways:

• Inspections by Transport Canada Railway Safety Officers as part of a regular monitoring program;
• In response to specific accidents or as the result of a review of accident records;
• In response to requests/applications received from local road authorities and railway companies;
• As the result of concerns raised by other interested parties.

Further details regarding financial assistance for grade crossing safety projects may be found in the pamphlet Crossing Safety: Financial Assistance at: http://www.tc.gc.ca/railway/pamphlet/financialassistance.htm