Real-time railway level crossing status and predicted time to the next closure
Level Crossing Status is a geo-data services company providing the real-time live status and predicted next closing times for railway level crossings across Great Britain, to commercial mapping services.
We provide this information as a commercial API data feed for mapping, routing and emergency-response platforms — so the current level crossing state can be used in ETAs and routes inside the products drivers already use.
Strawberry Hill
Wellesley Rd · Closes in 7 min
Mortlake
Sheen Lane · Opens in 5 min
What our API delivers
One real-time geo-data feed that your product can poll and/or subscribe to: live crossing state, a predicted time to the next closure, and the reference location data needed to place that state on a map or route.
Current status
OPEN, CLOSING or CLOSED per crossing. With an explicit UNKNOWN when the data temporarily can't support a judgement.
Predicted next closure
Minutes until the barriers are expected to come down — so routers can act before a queue forms.
Crossing reference data
Unique ID, name, road, coordinates and crossing type (for example CCTV, MCB) for every level crossing.
Routing engines currently only know where level crossings are. They can't see whether the barriers are down.
Train movement data is public. Barrier state is not. Where a level crossing sits on a route, the difference between "open" and "closing in four minutes" can decide an ETA for an emergency response or a delivery window. A consumer app could show that to a person, if they happen to have a specialist mobile application installed. Level Crossing Status has opted to package it as a commercial API service so that mapping, fleet and emergency platforms can use it at scale across Great Britain, in mapping services drivers already use for everyday routing and navigation.
See it in action: Live reference deployment in South West London
Our live reference deployment covers the eight vehicle crossings in South West London. It is under field testing on mobile devices, with timings calibrated against observed barrier behaviour. The demo is how we prove the derivation — not the product we sell. The product is the authenticated API feed for partners.
Level crossings included:
Level crossing status API for Great Britain
The commercial product is a documented, authenticated, monitored API: real-time crossing status and next-closure prediction that mapping, routing and emergency-response platforms can ingest at scale. The API is built and ready for our enterprise customers to integrate with support from Level Crossing Status.
The feed is engineered for commercial use and national coverage. Today's live reference deployment demonstrates the API service implementation for South West London level crossings. Our API is the path to serving Great Britain's level crossing network as a scalable data service.
Example API Response
{
"crossing": {
"id": "2216",
"name": "Strawberry Hill",
"road": "Wellesley Rd",
"type": "CCTV",
"location": { "lat": 51.438624, "lon": -0.339360 }
},
"status": "OPEN",
"next_closure": {
"predicted_in_minutes": 7,
"predicted_at": "2026-09-29T14:04:00Z"
},
"predicted_reopen_in_minutes": null,
"data_quality": "NORMAL",
"generated_at": "2026-09-29T13:57:12Z",
"attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.",
"advisory": "Informational only. Always obey the signals and barriers at the crossing."
}Status
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Open | Road is clear, the barriers are up and the level crossing is passable by vehicles. |
| Closing | A train is on the approach; treat the road as closing imminently. |
| Closed | A train is on or about to be on the crossing; do not route across. |
| Unknown | Data cannot support a judgement; do not treat as open. |
Who the API is for
Commercial mapping services and platforms that plan routes, ETAs or journeys — not end users looking for a standalone crossing app.
Mapping and navigation platforms
Ingest the feed to surface live closure state and adjust ETAs and routes inside products drivers already use.
Fleet, freight and logistics
Protect delivery windows by routing around predictable railway level crossing queues.
Emergency and blue-light response
Give dispatch and routing systems barrier state for time-critical journeys.
Public transport and journey planning
Feed disruption-aware crossing status into passenger and operator information systems.
Automotive and in-vehicle navigation
Bring live crossing state into the head unit through your existing data pipeline.
About Level Crossing Status
Level Crossing Status was founded by Martin Hathaway, an emergency response driver in South West London. Driving to time-critical incidents made clear how much it matters to know whether a level crossing is closed, or about to close. The aim is to put that information where drivers already navigate: inside the mapping and navigation services they use everyday.
That is why this is a commercial API data feed for Great Britain, not another consumer app. Other products show crossing status on a screen; we sell the status to the platforms that build those screens — and the routing engines behind them.
Level Crossing Status is independent and not affiliated with Network Rail or any mapping provider.
Frequently asked questions
What is Level Crossing Status?
Level Crossing Status is an enterprise ready, commercial geo-data API service. It provides real-time status and predicted next closure for railway level crossings in Great Britain, for mapping, routing and related platforms.
Is this a consumer app?
No. The product is a commercial data feed. The live demo exists to prove the derivation engine; it is not the offering we sell to the public.
How is this different from apps that show crossing status?
Those products serve people looking at a phone. We sell machine-readable status so navigation, fleet and emergency platforms can use crossing state inside their own products and routing logic.
Where does the data come from?
We use a proprietary level crossing status derivation methodology, based on Network Rail data feeds, not railway barrier sensors.
How accurate is it?
Our API service is under active field validation and subject to continuous testing. Our methodology and measured results are shared during the enterprise sales and integration process.
Which crossings are covered?
Our API service has been architected and orchestrated to meet the demands of enterprise customers who require national coverage and real-time updates for railway level crossings across Great Britain.
Is the API available now?
Yes. The API is built and ready for enterprise customers to integrate with support from Level Crossing Status. Integration conversations can include service design and amendments to fit your platform.
Are you affiliated with Network Rail?
No. We are independent, using open data under OGL v3.0.
Which formats do you support?
The API ships with a defined contract. During integration we can discuss formats and amendments that fit the incident or closure payloads your platform already ingests.
Arrange a demonstration
A 30-minute walkthrough of the API, coverage roadmap and live proof of concept. Bring your product and engineering leads if useful — we can discuss integration and any service amendments your platform needs.
We look forward to discussing your needs and requirements.