WATCH: Terrifying near misses at railway crossings as Irish Rail issues warning

Irish Rail has issued a safety warning after a surge in incidents at level crossings across the country and is urging the public to be vigilant when crossing railways, particularly in Dublin.

There have been 54 incidents at level crossing so far this year, up from 31 for the same period in 2021. Irish Rail says some of these incidents have been “particularly worrying” and have been shared on social media.

Footage of incidents involving a tractor, car and a cyclist has been shared on social media to highlight the dangers.

The majority of incidents at level crossings this year were in Dublin. These included incidents at crossings on Lansdowne Road, Serpentine Ave, Sandymount Ave, Sutton, Bray, Merrion Gates and Baldoyle Road.

In Cork, the Banteer level crossing also had incidents.

Level crossing accidents account for 1pc of road deaths in Europe but 31pc of all railway fatalities.

No one has died at a level crossing in Ireland since 2010.

There are currently 909 level crossings on the Irish Rail network, a number which has reduced from over 2,000 since the turn of the century. These are a combination of automated CCTV crossings, manned crossing and unmanned user operated accommodation crossings, including on farmlands.

Irish Rail says it is working to eliminate as many level crossings as possible. The company has closed 69 level crossings between 2014 and 2022.

Jim Meade, chief executive of Irish Rail said: “The number of incidents at level crossings is still too high. In recent months, we have had a number of very worrying collisions at level crossings and we would appeal to all road users to obey the rules of the roads at level crossings. They are for everyone’s safety."

Today is International Level Crossing Awareness day.
We will be hosting Driver education days at various crossings around the country in conjunction with @gardainfo and @RSAIreland crossings #UICRail #UIC100 #ilcad
Remember always act safely at level crossings pic.twitter.com/2YV2RoDMkZ

— Iarnród Éireann (@IrishRail) June 9, 2022

There are currently 909 level crossings on the Irish Rail network.

These are made up of a combination of automated CCTV crossings, manned crossing and unmanned user operated accommodation crossings, including on farmlands.