Innovative Australian company Rail Safety Systems (RSS) is in the running for a national award for its groundbreaking solution to a pervasive safety issue plaguing rural communities: dangerous level crossings.

RSS has been named a finalist for the 2025 RISSB Rail Safety Award for ‘Community Safety Initiative’ for their advanced Rail Active Crossing System (RAXS).

RAXS is designed to transform ‘passive level crossings’, which are often marked only by a simple stop sign, into active warning zones with flashing lights and train-activated signage.

The technology offers a cost-effective and practical solution for activating these level crossings in remote areas, where traditional safety upgrades are often expensive, time consuming and difficult to implement.

This recognition comes as communities across Australia are growing increasingly aware of the urgent need for safer rail crossings, particularly in rural areas.

RSS CEO Andrew Clark said he felt this nomination was a “wonderful validation of our mission to use technology to make rail crossings safe, even in the most remote locations”.

“We know the dangers of poorly protected level crossings, and RAXS offers a genuinely viable solution where old-style upgrades simply aren’t feasible.”

The technology behind RAXS addresses the unique challenges of rural settings, being:

• • Solar-powered: Eliminates reliance on grid power, essential in remote areas.

• • Modular Design: Allows for quick and cost-effective installation.

• • Wireless Communication:  Ensures effective train detection and sign activation.

RSS Director Business Development Andy Turnbull said that with 16,000 unprotected level crossings in Australia, 83 percent of them in the mainland eastern states, the need for a solution like RAXS is “undeniably urgent”.

“We’ve heard the concerns of these communities; they deserve safety, wherever they live.

“RAXS represents a meaningful advancement in level crossing safety and its success could pave the way for widespread implementation, making Australia’s rail network safer for everyone,” Mr Turnbull said.

The RISSB Rail Safety Award winners will be announced at a special ceremony during the annual RISSB Rail Safety Conference dinner on Tuesday, 13 May 2025.