Austrian railway-crossing rules updated: guarded crossings reviewed by 2034, upgraded by 2039
Austria's Railway Crossing Regulation (Eisenbahnkreuzungsverordnung 2012) was amended by BGBl. II Nr. 235/2026, with changes taking effect the day after publication. Railway companies still operating level crossings under old 1961 guard-based approvals face binding review (by 1 September 2034) and upgrade deadlines (by 1 September 2039); crossings on suspended lines are exempt until operations resume.
What changed
New §103a requires authorities to review all level crossings still secured by human guards under the 1961 regulation by 1 September 2034, and to order a new type of safety measure with an implementation deadline no later than 1 September 2039. New §5(3) obliges authorities to attach a specific implementation deadline to every safety-upgrade decision. Existing traffic lights and barriers may be retained until the end of their technical service life (§§104–105). The monitoring rules for traffic-light systems (§87) were technically revised and two sub-paragraphs repealed.
Who is affected
Railway companies are primarily affected, especially those with crossings still approved under older guard-based rules. Administrative authorities must now always set a concrete deadline when ordering safety upgrades. Road users are touched by technical clarifications to stopping rules (§97 Abs. 4): a driver must stop before the St Andrew's Cross or before the last traffic signal, at least 3 m from the nearest rail.
What to look out for
The binding dates are 1 September 2034 (authority review) and 1 September 2039 (implementation of the new safety measure). New §106a exempts crossings on temporarily or permanently suspended railway lines from immediate upgrade obligations, but before resuming operations the railway company must bring all crossings up to current standards, regardless of how costs are shared with the road authority.