Table of contents

• Objectives
• Eligible Crossings
• Eligible Recipients
• Stacking
• The Application
• Maximum Amount
• Approval
• Regulatory Requirements
• Payment
• Transport Canada Offices
• Other Related Web Sites

OBJECTIVES

Safety at grade crossings is a primary focus of Transport Canada. It is logical, therefore, to encourage closing of crossings where a safety hazard exists. Government contributions are available to encourage closing of certain grade crossings that are under federal jurisdiction.

Though currently administered under the Grade Crossing Improvement Program (GCIP), crossing closures are funded under Section 12.1 of the Railway Safety Act (RSA). A crossing closure grant is designed to provide a maximum incentive of $5000.00 for closing a restricted crossing, and $20,000.00 for closing an unrestricted crossing. A person's receipt of a grant from Transport Canada will not be jeopardized by the person's receiving similar incentives from other sources.

ELIGIBLE CROSSINGS

The grant for closing crossings must be for a crossing where a safety concern or hazard exists, or, where the closing of the crossing will divert the user to an adjacent crossing where a higher level of safety exists. The impact of closing a crossing on all vehicular and pedestrian traffic movements must be addressed. The closure must not result in a creation of a trespass situation nor can the closing of the crossing create a safety concern at other crossings.

ELIGIBLE RECIPIENTS

Recipients will be a PERSON, as defined in the Railway Safety Act. This is normally a road authority, or a private party with rights to a crossing. A railway company can not receive a grant, however it will benefit from any crossing closure. Whether a road authority or a private party, the recipient must be the PERSON with whom the right to the crossing resides. The crossing must be on a line of a federally regulated railway and must have been in existence for at least three years.

STACKING

The goal of this program is to encourage the closing of crossings; therefore a grant under Section 12.1 will not preclude other funding agreements between the parties involved, normally the railway company and the road authority. In addition, if the closing of a crossing causes a serious traffic concern, funding under Section 12 of the RSA under the GCIP may be appropriate to address this concern. No eligible cost definition is applicable but all other sources of funding must be disclosed. The grant is provided to compensate for the forfeiture of the recipient's rights and NOT for the costs incurred to physically close the crossings. Therefore, neither the existence nor the award of this grant can be used as a factor in reducing other assistance to the recipient.

THE APPLICATION

The following information is required for an application:

• the location of the crossing as described by the road authority (property owner in the case of a private crossing) and the railway company involved
• indicate if the project will be:
• located in or in close proximity to any of the following: National Parks, National Park Reserves, National Historic Sites, or Historic Canals;
• extended outside of the existing roadway or railway right-of-ways; and
• undertaken within 30m of a water body.
• details of the train and road (vehicular and pedestrian) traffic using the crossing (official traffic counts and speeds)
• a description of the safety hazard being eliminated
• alternative solutions
• a plan of any related works necessary to support the proposed closing
• the PERSON'S commitment to see the crossing closed
• any other information necessary to support the application
• environmental information:
• provide a summary description of the local biophysical environment, including a description of the environmental components that are likely to be adversely affected by the project;
• indicate if the project will result in the likely release of a polluting substance into a water body; and
• provide information on other EA regimes to which the project has been or is likely to be subject to (i.e., provincial, territorial, etc).

Risk assessment principles will apply. The grant will be evaluated and audited by applying a risk-based analysis. An on-site inspection and provision of additional information may be required. Where a closing results in closing a public road, all required approvals pursuant to provincial or municipal legislation must be in place prior to payment of a grant.

Applications for a grant to close a crossing should be sent to:

The Minister of Transport
Transport Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A ON5

Attention: 
Director General
Rail Safety

Copies of the application are to be sent to the appropriate Regional Director, Surface, Transport Canada and to the other authorities involved (please refer to Transport Canada Offices Section for addresses).

MAXIMUM AMOUNT

The maximum amount of a grant is $20,000.00 for an unrestricted crossing and $5000.00 for a restricted crossing.

APPROVAL

Approval will be based on the seriousness of the safety problem or hazard, and the potential for avoiding fatalities, injuries and damage. The following factors are used in prioritizing, and in assessing a grade crossing for closing:

• high exposure factors, such as annual average daily number of trains multiplied by annual average daily road traffic
• high train or road traffic speeds
• multiple track crossings
• severely restricted sightlines
• curved or angled approach, or nearby intersections that distract the motorist or impede the view of approaching trains
• a history of accidents

Notification of approval is sent to the applicant by Transport Canada. The maximum grant authorized will be based upon the risk assessed.

REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS

As stated in Section 12.1 of the RSA, the key requirement of the agreement is that the person's rights relating to the crossing are extinguished. The agreement will be filed with the Canadian Transportation Agency.

Pursuant to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA), an environmental assessment (EA) of a project may have to be completed prior to Transport Canada (TC) providing financial assistance that would enable a project to be carried out in whole or in part.

If determined to be necessary, proponents shall conduct the EA of their project proposals, to be completed in accordance, with TC instructions, prior to the commencement of any project related works.

PAYMENT

Payment will be made to the recipient in one lump sum, payable only after the agreement extinguishing the recipient's rights to the crossing is filed with the Canadian Transportation Agency, AND the crossing is physically closed to the satisfaction of Transport Canada.

TRANSPORT CANADA OFFICES

National headquarters

Transport Canada - Rail Safety
Rail Safety Branch
Tower C, Place de Ville,  330 Sparks Street 
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0N5
Telephone: 613-990-2309 / 1-888-267-7704
TTY: 1-888-675-6863
Email: railsafety@tc.gc.ca 

Regional offices

The following regional sites provide information on services and activities as well as local contacts.

Pacific Region - Rail (British Columbia)
Transport Canada
225 - 625 Agnes Street
New Westminster, British Columbia
V3M 5Y4
Telephone:  604-666-0011
Fax:  604-666-7747

Prairie and Northern Region - Surface (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut)
344 Edmonton Street, 4th floor
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3C OP6
Telephone:  204-983-3152
Telephone:  1-888-463-0521

Ontario Region - Surface (Ontario)
4900 Yonge Street, Suite 300
North York, Ontario
M2N 6A5
Telephone:  416-973-9820
Fax:  416-973-9907

Quebec Region - Rail Transport (Quebec)
800, René Lévesque Blvd West
Office 600
Montreal, Quebec
H3B 1X9
Surface (Railway Safety and Transport Dangerous Goods)
Telephone: 514-283-5722
Fax: 514-283-8234

Atlantic Region - Rail Transport (New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland & Labrador)
95 Foundry Street, Suite 418
PO Box 42
Moncton, New Brunswick
E1C 8K6
Telephone: 506-851-7040
Fax: 506-851-7042

Other Related Web Sites:

• Crossing Safety: Financial Assistance
• Proposed Grade Crossing Regulation and Technical Standard (RTD 10)
• Guideline No.1: Procedures and conditions for eliminating whistling at public crossings
• Guideline For Inspecting and Testing Pre-emption Of Interconnected Traffic Control Signals & Railway Crossing Warning Systems
• Guideline: engineering Work Relating To Railway Works (Section 11 of the Railway Safety Act)
• Standard For LED Signal Modules at Highway/Railway Grade Crossings