Level crossing

A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the crossing 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 (chiefly Australian; Canadian; and New Zealander), grade crossing/railroad crossing (chiefly American),, railroad xing (Philippines), road through railroad, criss-cross, train crossing, and RXR.

There are more than 100,000 level crossings in Europe and more than 200,000 in North America.

Road-grade crossings are considered incompatible with high-speed rail and are virtually non-existent in European high-speed train operations.