System to provide real-time railroad grade crossing information to support traffic management decision-making

A method of dispatching a vehicle to a destination comprising:

• providing a railroad system comprising a plurality of monitored railroad grade crossings, each respective one monitored railroad grade crossing having associated therewith a monitor, said monitor detecting an event or receiving a signal that indicates that a portion of track is currently occupied by an object, said event selected from closing of the associated railroad grade crossing or approach of a train to the associated railroad grade crossing, said monitor reporting said event to a control unit, said control unit comprising a database comprising a plurality of event entries, each respective event entry comprising closing start time and closing stop time of a respective one train at a respective monitored railroad grade crossing closed on the route followed by the respective one train through the railway system;
• and a plurality of itinerary entries, each respective itinerary entry comprising the closing start times and the closing stop times at every respective monitored railroad grade crossing closed by the respective one train on the route followed by the respective one train through the railway system;
• each respective railroad grade crossing being intersected by a roadway, said roadway being blocked when the railroad grade crossing is closed;
• a monitor communicating an event detected at the monitor to the control unit, said control unit:
• a) consulting the database to determine most frequent itinerary followed by a train from the respective monitored railroad grade crossing associated with said monitor;
• and
• b) reporting time of closure of railroad grade crossings associated with said predicted itinerary to a user;
• and
• said user dispatching the vehicle to the destination on a route that avoids said closed railroad grade crossings.