A method for detecting a movement of a rail vehicle, in particular a freight or passenger train, in a warning zone of a rail crossing, includes: determining a first temperature in the warning zone of the rail crossing or in a portion of the warning zone at a first time; determining a second temperature in the warning zone of the rail crossing or in a portion of the warning zone at a second time. The first time is chronologically before the second time. The method compares the first temperature with the second temperature. If the comparison demonstrates that the second temperature is higher than the first temperature, the method outputs a warning signal and initiates blocking of the rail crossing.

A method and device for ascertaining movement authority for track-bound vehicles allow interference with a driving operation resulting in special operational situations or disturbances to be kept as low as possible. The position of the vehicle is determined and used to check whether the vehicle is located completely in an axle-counting section of an axle-counting system. The number of axles of the vehicle is compared with the number of axles located in the relevant section according to the system. If the vehicle is located completely in the relevant section and the number of axles of the vehicle matches the number of axles located in the section according to the system, a movement authority is ascertained for the vehicle. The part of the relevant section in front of the vehicle in the driving direction is assumed to be free of other vehicles when ascertaining the movement authority.

An axle counting method for rail-mounted vehicles is disclosed. An electromagnetic transmission signal with a frequency is produced, by a frequency source. The electromagnetic transmission signal is transmitted by means of a transmission device of an electromagnetic rail contact element. The electromagnetic transmission signal is detected as a first reception signal and a second reception signal by means of two spaced-apart receiving units of the rail contact element. The reception signals are transmitted. An evaluation signal is generated within a signal processing unit. To generate the transmission signal, a single transmission unit is used, and in that the reception signals received by the two receiving units originate from the same transmission signal.