Railway safety experts meet in Copenhagen for GLCN and TreSP-Network Sessions

On 11 and 13 March 2026, almost 60 delegates from 16 countries participated in the Global Level Crossing Network (GLCN) and Trespass and Suicide Prevention Network (TreSP Network) meetings, held both in person in Copenhagen and online. Exceptionally, the two UIC Safety Platform working groups met together, with the visit being hosted by Danish State Railways (DSB) and Trafikstyrelsen. Experts joined from Europe (Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK), as well as from the USA, Japan, and Australia.

Over two days, participants shared insights on data analysis, best practices in risk assessment, technical and innovative solutions, communication and awareness initiatives, and enforcement measures aimed at improving level crossing safety and advancing trespass and suicide prevention efforts. The meetings also included rich and insightful presentations from both the hosts and members, offering practical experiences and innovative approaches from across the global rail community.

11 March – 35th GLCN Meeting

This meeting was held at the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority, with the following presentations:

Kisea Gammelgaard Sonne, Senior Vice President of Safety at DSB, opened the session by presenting DSB’s crisis management processes following major incidents.
Niels Brejnberg Buch, Project Leader at the Danish National Safety Authority, presented Denmark’s regulatory framework for level crossings.
Nicholai Rudbeck Zickert, Banedanmark, shared updates on level crossings within the Danish Signalling Programme, including European Train Control System (ETCS) deployment.
A particularly inspiring contribution came from Prof Gemma Read, Director of the Centre for Human Factors and Sociotechnical Systems at the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC), who presented a newly released human factors integration toolkit to support level crossing safety. The toolkit is available at https://lnkd.in/gJKBFjwT
Representatives from INFRABEL, Annelies De Keyser and Catherine Gillard, presented two safety communication campaigns on:
- The level crossing emergency number 1711
- An awareness campaign targeting truck drivers in Belgian ports
Daniel Fisk, Head of Level Crossings and Public Safety at Network Rail, shared recent data and trends on incidents and accidents at UK level crossings.

12 March – Joint technical visits

Both groups took part in joint site visits to two operational level crossings with:

Induction loops embedded at and before level crossings to detect vehicles and send alarms to the rail control centre to prevent collisions
Anti trespass panels designed to prevent shortcuts and unauthorised access
A station equipped with intelligent cameras and artificial intelligence (AI) for trespass detection. An alarm is triggered when a person is detected on the tracks, with an alert being sent to the train driver (successfully implemented and tested at several stations).

These visits offered a hands on view of emerging safety solutions being deployed in Denmark.

13 March – 15th TreSP Network Meeting hosted by DSB

The following presentations were held:

Per Schrøder, Director of Operations at DSB, opened the session.
Sara Fog, Senior Brand Manager at DSB, presented DSB’s new and innovative trespass prevention campaigns.
Martin Riishoej Mathiesen, AI Solutions Lead, and Nils La Cour, Senior Advisor at DSB and Vice Chair of the TreSP Network, highlighted their successful AI based system that detects trespassers and sends real time alarms to train drivers, enabling “drive on sight” mode at 40 km/h to prevent collisions.
Sanne Thorbøll, DSB, presented object detection systems planned for the future driverless and fully automated S train network.

Further contributions included:

Peter Allen, Enclasp Pty Ltd, Australia, presented research focused on innovative measures to prevent harm to trespassers or persons at risk.
Annette Erlangsen, Danish Research Institute for Suicide Prevention, provided details on research results on railway suicide prevention.
Sophie Godelaine, INFRABEL, explained technical measures implemented in Belgium to prevent trespassing on tracks from platform ends.
Annelies De Keyser and Catherine Gillard, INFRABEL, gave a presentation on remediation sessions for minors who had trespassed.
Anthony Bolton and Ekaterina Engelsberg, Network Rail, presented results from a survey on trespass that had been sent to members.
Johan Fredin, Psychologist at the Karolinska Institutet, showcased innovative ideas for fencing solutions to prevent trespassing and suicides.
An update was provided on the effectiveness of blue lights at stations and level crossings for suicide prevention.
Ann Mills, Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) and Chair of the TreSP Network, led a discussion on trespass risk assessment and signage following two surveys conducted among members.

ILCAD and TRESPAD 2026 – Slogan confirmed

Both groups had brainstorming sessions on the future International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD) and Trespass Awareness Day (TRESPAD) campaigns and their 2026 launch conferences. The chosen slogan is “Alert Today. Safe Tomorrow.”
« Vigilant aujourd’hui, en sécurité demain », “Heute umsichtig, morgen unversehrt”, “Alerta hoy. Seguro mañana”

Two videos, one for ILCAD and one for TRESPAD, will be produced using CCTV footage provided by members, illustrating unsafe behaviour at level crossings and along railway tracks. These will be complemented by posters produced by UIC highlighting safe behaviours.

The international conferences launching both campaigns will take place at UIC Headquarters on 9-10 June 2026, followed by technical visits on 11 June, supported by SNCF Réseau. Get involved:

Call for abstracts for TRESPAD: click here deadline postponed to 30 March
Call for abstracts for ILCAD: click here deadline postponed to 30 March
Registration to both conferences: click here
Call for sponsorship: click here

For more information on TRESPAD, please visit www.trespad.org.
For more information on ILCAD, please visit www.ilcad.org.