KiwiRail is concerned Christchurch motorists may start ignoring warning bells and barrier arms because of false alarms triggered by railway track vandals.
There have been 18 reports of vandalism in the Papanui area in the past two months, causing barriers to come down at level crossings and bells to sound for up to an hour.
KiwiRail southern regional manager Todd Moyle says the noise has frustrated nearby residents, but a bigger worry is that motorists might start ignoring the warning signs and drive through.
Mr Moyle says the police have some leads in the vandalism cases.
