Addressing unsecured railroad crossings in Kerkrade
In 2018, the Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management decided to eliminate all unsecured railroad crossings in the Netherlands. They will be secured or closed.
An unsecured railroad crossing is called a NABO. This is short for Not Actively Secured Overpass. At a NABO, there are only St Andrew's crosses and warning signs. There are no railroad barriers, bells and light signals. Anyone crossing the tracks has to watch for themselves to see if a train is coming. That makes these level crossings dangerous.
The removal of NABOs is done by ProRail, which is the railroad manager of the Netherlands. ProRail cooperates with municipalities, among others, for this purpose.
The ProRail website has more information on NABOs
Two NABOs were closed in Kerkrade
There were two NABOs in Kerkrade: on the Torenstraat in Eygelshoven and on the Meuserstraat in Haanrade. These NABOs have now both been closed.
In both places, a new possibility has been created to get safely to the other side of the tracks. ProRail and the municipality of Kerkrade have worked together to make the tracks safer and keep the beautiful green and natural areas around the tracks in the municipality of Kerkrade accessible.
In October 2018, we started looking for the best solution to address these crossings. In doing so, we also asked for the help of the people who live near the NABOs and a walk-in evening was held on May 28, 2019 on this subject.
In looking for another way to get across the tracks, we paid attention to a number of things:
- Accessibility
- As little disruption to people in the neighborhood as possible
- As little disruption to nature (plants and animals) as possible
The NABO on Tower Street was removed in July 2022. Where the level crossing was located, a pedestrian tunnel was constructed under the tracks towards the hiking area in the Schoufferts forest. This tunnel has been in use since January 2023.
Since the end of 2023, hikers towards the Worm Valley can use a new footpath under the railroad tracks. After the closure of the NABO on Meuserstraat, a former cattle tunnel was refurbished a short distance away. There is now a semi-paved walking path towards the Wormdal from the T-junction Haanraderweg and Meuserstraat towards the new pedestrian tunnel under the railroad. In February 2024, ProRail permanently removed the level crossing on Meuserstraat.
There are now no more NABOs in Kerkrade.
News reports surrounding approach to NABOs in Kerkrade
Here you can read all news items about the approach to the NABOs in Kerkrade. ProRail and the municipality are also informing people living near the NABOs through letters.