RISK PRIORITIZATION AND TECHNICAL-ECONOMIC JUSTIFICATION FOR THE MODERNIZATION OF UNGUARDED RAILWAY LEVEL CROSSINGS IN ANDIJAN REGION

Abstract

The paper addresses traffic safety at unguarded railway level crossings in Andijan region in view of the launch of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway. A risk exposure index was calculated for six railway sections based on traffic flow and accident statistics for 2024-2026, and the sections were ranked by priority. Automatic barrier, UZP (crossing barrier device) and bollard system options were compared under three scenarios in terms of capital cost, payback period and 10-year net result. The Andijan 1-Jalal-Abad section was found to account for 45% of total exposure; in the base scenario, UZP pays back in 2.4 years, the automatic barrier in 2.9 years and the bollard system in 5.7 years. A three-stage modernization programme for the 21 unguarded crossings is proposed.