Abstract
Sharing operations of high-speed passenger and heavy slow freight trains on the same rail tracks presents additional risks to vehicle and pedestrians who cross the tracks. This is due to increase in rail traffic at crossing; drivers and pedestrians overestimate the amount of time they have to cross the intersection in front of a higher speed train; and due to the fact that circuited crossings are not adaptable and might lead to confusion and bad decisions. From human perception point of view these accidents happen in particular when the high speed trains were just introduced since the drivers as well as the pedestrians are used to interact with slower trains. Looming is a major factor that contributes to the perception error experiences by a driver or pedestrian. On one hand a faster train is being detected at farther distance than a slower one but its time to contact (the time it will reach the crossing) is shorter. Thus, a pedestrian might think that he has enough time to cross the railroad but actually he does not. Horn sound has the same effect on human perception. This paper discusses issues related to human perception which contribute to accidents in these cases.
