Find a crossing Guide 05
How to find a railroad crossing's DOT number
Find a railroad crossing's DOT number on its blue-and-white emergency sign, or search for the crossing by road and town. This crossing ID identifies the location more precisely than a street name alone.
For residents reporting a problem, engineers and researchers.
Look for the ID on the blue sign.
The emergency sign displays the railroad contact and crossing ID. Read it from a safe location; do not enter the track area to inspect it.
A road may cross a rail line more than once. Check the town and map location so that a familiar street name does not lead you to the wrong record.
Sources: FRA: emergency notification signs.
Keep the 6 digits and the check letter.
The identifier consists of 6 digits followed by a letter. Preserve any zeros at the beginning and the final letter when searching, taking notes or contacting an agency.
Treat the ID as an identifier, not a code for the state, railroad or warning equipment. Those facts have their own fields and can change while the crossing keeps its ID.
Sources: California PUC: crossing identifiers.
Search by address, map or railroad.
Start with a road and town if you do not have the ID. Compare the map position with the actual place, then read the road and reporting railroad on the crossing page.
Nearby tracks are not always road crossings. A bridge or a private access road may differ from the public crossing you meant to find.
Use FRA's locator to check the location.
FRA's Rail Crossing Locator provides another way to identify the crossing and reach federal records. The Atlas brings reported traffic, incidents and record history into one reading view.
If the record and location disagree, retain both references and ask the responsible agency to confirm the ID. Do not silently replace the crossing with the nearest map point.
Sources: FRA Rail Crossing Locator.
Use the same ID throughout your report.
Quote the crossing ID when reporting a blockage or equipment problem. For a hazard at the scene, use the contact on the blue sign.
For research, pair the ID with a dated source and record version. This lets someone else find the same location without assuming its present equipment was there in an earlier year.
Sources: FRA: emergency notification signs.
Your next step