Editing Rail transport (section)

===Safety===
[[File:Road-way vs. railway safety.png|thumb|right|upright=1.5|According to [[Eurostat]] and the [[European Railway Agency]], the fatality risk for passengers and occupants on European railways is 28 times lower when compared with car usage (based on data by EU-27 member nations, 2008–2010).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/transport/data/database |type=statistical database |title=Statistics database for transports |date=20 April 2014 |website=epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu |publisher=Eurostat, European Commission |access-date=12 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120603163108/http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/transport/data/database |archive-date=3 June 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.era.europa.eu/Document-Register/Documents/SPR%202013%20Final%20for%20web.pdf| title=Intermediate report on the development of railway safety in the European Union 2013| editor=Vojtech Eksler| type=report| website=www.era.europa.eu| date=5 May 2013| page=1| publisher=Safety Unit, European Railway Agency & European Union| access-date=12 May 2014| archive-date=29 August 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829110858/http://www.era.europa.eu/Document-Register/Documents/SPR%202013%20Final%20for%20web.pdf| url-status=live}}</ref>]]
Some trains travel faster than road vehicles. They are heavy and unable to deviate from the track, and have longer stopping distances. Possible accidents include [[derailment]] (jumping the track) and collisions with another train or a road vehicle, or with pedestrians at level crossings, which account for the majority of all rail accidents and casualties. To minimize the risk, the most important safety measures are strict operating rules, e.g. [[railway signalling]], and gates or [[grade separation]] at crossings. [[Train whistle]]s, bells, or [[train horn|horns]] warn of the presence of a train, while trackside signals maintain the distances between trains. Another method used to increase safety is the addition of [[platform screen doors]] to separate the platform from train tracks. These prevent unauthorised incursion on to the train tracks which can result in accidents that cause serious harm or death, as well as providing other benefits such as preventing litter build up on the tracks which can pose a fire risk.

On many high-speed inter-city networks, such as Japan's [[Shinkansen]], the trains run on dedicated railway lines without any level crossings. This is an important element in the safety of the system as it effectively eliminates the potential for collision with automobiles, other vehicles, or pedestrians, and greatly reduces the probability of collision with other trains. Another benefit is that services on the inter-city network remain punctual.