Banedanmark says video cameras at six railway crossings without barriers in Southern Jutland have made drivers stop when the warning bells and lights activate.
DR reports that motorists now halt at the six unbarriered crossings on the Southern Jutland railway. The cameras were installed in March 2026, and both Banedanmark and locomotive drivers say safety has improved since then.
The monitoring followed a fatal accident at Bjerndrup in Southern Jutland a year ago. A manure tanker collided with a passenger train, killing a 60-year-old woman and injuring 26 people, two of them seriously. Only weeks earlier, a young man was killed at another crossing without barriers, according to DR.
Despite the accidents, Banedanmark continued to register drivers crossing the tracks while the signals were flashing and sounding. That behavior has changed since the cameras went up, per Banedanmark safety chief Martin Harrow. He points to the crossings being filmed and to public warnings that offenders can expect contact from the police.
Since March, Banedanmark has recorded 16 cases of drivers passing on what Harrow calls late amber, or “taxa-gult” in Danish. In each case, the agency judged that no safety risk had arisen. As a result, no drivers have been reported to the police.
Locomotive drivers say the difference is noticeable on the route. Ole Bang, who regularly drives on the Sønderborg line, told DR that the cameras have worked better than he had dared hope. He said far fewer motorists now pass the crossings while the warning system is running.
According to Bang, locomotive drivers demanded barriers at the crossings after the Bjerndrup accident. Banedanmark says the cameras will be replaced by barriers next summer. The six crossings sit on the Tinglev to Sønderborg stretch, part of Denmark’s public transport network.
Cameras described as an interim measure
In a 2025 press release, Banedanmark said the six crossings between Tinglev and Sønderborg would get temporary video surveillance. The agency stated that the cameras were meant to document unsafe crossings while a new signaling system was being rolled out. It said permanent barriers would follow with that new signaling, which it then expected in the first half of 2027.
Other outlets have reported on the wider response to the crash. TV 2 reported that Banedanmark planned to install barriers at the crossings in 2027. It also reported that Aabenraa Municipality was screening five local crossings for possible safety improvements.
CPH Post reported that Banedanmark lowered train speeds at all crossings without barriers after the Bjerndrup collision. That measure was introduced in the weeks following the accident.
