A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, path, or airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line crossing over or under using an overpass or tunnel. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion. Other names include railway level crossing, railway crossing, grade crossing or railroad crossing, road through railroad, criss-cross, train crossing, and RXR (abbreviated).
Most crossings in Europe and around the world are marked by some form of saltire (Saint Andrew's Cross, or crossbuck) to warn road users about a level crossing and/or about a level crossing with no barriers whatsoever. This cross is on a level crossing in Slovenia.
A level crossing at Hoylake, Merseyside, England, with a train passing
A railroad crossing in Abington, Massachusetts, US
A CRH380A train passing Shoupakou level crossing at Beijing, China
Glossary of rail transport terms
Rail transport terms are a form of technical terminology applied to railways. Although many terms are uniform across different nations and companies, they are by no means universal, with differences often originating from parallel development of rail transport systems in different parts of the world, and in the national origins of the engineers and managers who built the inaugural rail infrastructure. An example is the term railroad, used in North America, and railway, generally used in English-speaking countries outside North America and by the International Union of Railways. In English-speaking countries outside the United Kingdom, a mixture of US and UK terms may exist.
A Swiss axle box
The backhead of UP 4017, a locomotive at the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Boom barriers at a railway crossing in France
A caboose on display at the National New York Central Railroad Museum