Cameras set for railway crossings to bust train-dodging drivers

ProRail is installing camera surveillance at railway crossings. The rail company is concerned that road users will be more tempted to ignore red lights at the crossings once train traffic increases on the routes between Amsterdam, Utrecht and Eindhoven in September, a spokesperson for ProRail said to NU.nl.

"Transitions will be more frequent and take longer, so people need more patience. For safety and to prevent accidents, we want to use this extra measure", the spokesperson said.

The cameras will snap pictures of vehicles ignoring red lights at crossings, and they will be fined. Fines will be issued based on vehicle identification, similar to speeding fines. ProRail is also looking into whether these cameras can be used to identify cyclists and pedestrians who ignore the stop signal. The company employs about 50 officers entitled to issue fines based on the camera images.

Motorists and motorcycle drivers that ignore a red light at a rail crossing currently face a fine of 230 euros. Scooter drivers can be fined 160 euros and cyclists 90 euros. In the first four months of this year 299 such fines were issued.