Manless Railway Gate

Abstract

The continuous expansion of railway networks has intensified safety concerns at level crossings, particularly in locations where gates are manually operated or remain unmanned. Such crossings are highly vulnerable to accidents caused by human error, delayed responses, and inadequate coordination between road and rail traffic. This paper presents an automated railway gate control system that integrates Infrared (IR) sensors, an ESP32 microcontroller, and a real-time cloud-based monitoring platform using Firebase.

The proposed system employs strategically positioned IR sensors to detect the arrival and departure of trains near a level crossing. Sensor signals are processed by the ESP32 controller, which autonomously operates a servo-driven gate mechanism through predefined control logic. Audio-visual warning devices, including buzzers and LED indicators, provide immediate alerts to pedestrians and vehicles during gate transitions. In addition, the ESP32’s built-in Wi-Fi capability enables continuous transmission of operational data—such as train detection events and gate status—to a Firebase Realtime Database. This information is visualized through a web-based dashboard, allowing authorized personnel to monitor gate operations remotely.

Experimental evaluation demonstrates reliable train detection, timely gate actuation, and accurate real-time data updates under various test conditions. While challenges related to sensor reliability and data security remain inherent to IoT-based systems, the proposed solution offers a cost-effective, scalable, and practical approach to improving safety at railway level crossings. The system also provides a foundation for future enhancements, including intelligent train classification, GPS-assisted detection, and mobile-based public alert systems.