Widebody; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 270; Flight Crew Total 25000; Flight Crew Type 4000
Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Conflict Ground Conflict; Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Other / Unknown
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Procedure; Human Factors
Night VMC standard Newark taxi out. We were contacted by EWR GROUND and told to taxi to RWY 22R FULL LENGHT VIA TAXIWAY UNIFORM; CROSS RUNWAY 11; RIGHT TURN ON ZULU. First Officer (FO) copied and read back the clearance and I verbalized it to her. Approaching RWY 11 I cleared and called 'clear left' and started turning my head right. The FO did not immediately call 'clear right;' and as I got my head turned to the 1 to 2 o'clock position I saw a plane on RWY 29. I started braking the aircraft.  Coincidence with my braking the IRO in the right IRO seat called out 'hold short.' We came to a complete stop short of the RWY 29 hold line and just in time to watch a Gulfstream jet get airborne in front of us; i.e. abeam taxiway Uniform. At about the same time EWR Ground transmitted 'CALLSIGN HEAVY HOLD SHORT.' I don't recall if she gave a runway number or not but we all knew what she meant. Naturally some flight deck conversation occurred about our clearance and we all agreed that we had been cleared to cross RWY 11. When cleared to continue to taxi I asked the EWR ground controller if she was aware of the conflict? The controller; the same one who had cleared us to taxi originally answered 'yes' in a very composed voice. I told her that we would be filing a report. No further issues.
Cleared to cross runway 11/29; sometime afterwards another aircraft departed the runway we were cleared to cross. Since we were with ground control the takeoff instructions issued to the other aircraft were not heard. Even if we were on tower frequency and the departing aircraft was issued a departure clearance for 22R and departed on 29 inadvertently the same outcome would prevail. Prior to crossing the runway we notice the lights of the other aircraft and were able to stop prior to the hold short line.
Air carrier flight crew reports being cleared to taxi via U and Z to Runway 22R cross Runway 11-29. Approaching Runway 11-29 an aircraft is detected taking off on Runway 29 and the reporting Captain stops before the hold line as a Gulfstream rotates abeam Taxiway U.