Where Do You Stop at a Railroad Crossing in Texas?

The Texas handbook sets a window, not a single line: stop no closer than 15 feet and no farther than 50 feet from the nearest rail. Stopping on the tracks, or right beside them, is never the goal.

A flashing signal is only one trigger. You also stop in that same range when a crossing gate is down, when a flag person warns you, when a traffic-control device tells you to, or when a train is about 1,500 feet away and sounding its horn. A train you can plainly see close to the crossing counts too.

Once stopped, stay there until the train has passed and the lights stop flashing or the gates go up. There may be a second track, and one train can hide another.

Source: Texas Driver Handbook (DL-7, January 2026), page 21.