(a) No public carrier engaged in the transportation of passengers or property shall, without prior order of the Department, construct its facilities across the facilities of any other such public utility or across any public highway at grade or above or below grade, or at the same or different levels; and, without like order, no such crossing heretofore or hereafter constructed shall be altered, relocated or abolished.
(b) The Department is hereby vested with exclusive power to determine and prescribe, by regulation or order, the points at which, and the manner in which, such crossing may be constructed, altered, relocated or abolished, and the manner and conditions, including protective devices, in or under which such crossings shall be maintained, operated and protected to effectuate the prevention of accidents and the promotion of the safety of the public.
(c) Upon its own motion or upon complaint, the Department shall have exclusive power after hearing upon notices to all parties in interest, including the owners of adjacent property, to order any such crossing heretofore or hereafter constructed to be relocated or altered, or to be abolished upon such reasonable terms and conditions as shall be prescribed by the Department. The Department may order the work of construction, relocation, alteration, protection or abolition of any crossing aforesaid to be performed in whole or in part by any public carrier or municipal corporation or county concerned or by the Department, or, in the case of any crossing on private land, by the owner thereof; provided, however, that when the Department or other governmental authority maintaining any public highway determines to use federal aid moneys in the construction, relocation, alteration, protection or abolition of any crossing aforesaid, then the Department shall take this into account in allocating costs.
(d) The term “public highway” as used in this section means any road, lane or street maintained by the State or any municipal corporation or county for use by the travelling public, that abuts any railroad track or immediately abuts the right-of-way thereof.