Rail Transportation

Highway/Railroad crossing identifiers

Crossing identifiers

Each highway-railroad crossing is assigned a unique identifier - a U.S. DOT/AAR crossing inventory number, normally referred to as an FRA number.  The number consists of six digits followed by a letter and is posted on a metal plate at each crossing.

Most highway-railroad crossings that are equipped with lights or lights and gates also have a sign posted that includes the railroad and a telephone number to contact in an emergency.

To find the FRA number for a highway-railroad crossing remotely, the Federal Railroad Administration, Office of Safety Analysis' Web site includes a number of ways a user can query the highway-railroad crossing inventory information to identify a single or group of crossings.