Metro stepping up railroad safety enforcement

Page Last Updated: Thursday March 11, 2010 6:24pm PST

Denise Rosch reporting

It’s a law far too many of us are breaking: speeding up to squeeze through a red light. On Thursday, Metro traffic officers were out in force to address the problem.

These aren’t the red light runners you might be expecting.

There’s a certain mystique about riding the railroad; seeing the country from the cab of a Union Pacific engine. But spend any amount of time on board and the dangers become obvious.

“You know, it’s a bigger problem than it should be,” says Aaron Hunt with Union Pacific.

The problems range from trespassers to inpatient drivers.

“They feel an overdeveloped sense of confidence,” Hunt explains. “Oh, I know how the railroad works. If I need to jump across this crossing, I can do it.”

That’s why the railroad is teaming up with Metro Police to enforce at-grade crossings.

Sgt. David Jacobs with Metro says in a four hour period Thursday, more than 70 tickets were handed out. In many cases the drivers jumped the gun once the train had passed. The barriers were up but the flashing lights remained.

“It’s still a red light violation because the train… you never know if there’s another one behind it or not,” warns Jacoby.

Denise Rosch: How much is the ticket?

Jacoby: These tickets were in the range of about $190.

According to the Federal Railroad Administration, 713 people died nationwide in railroad-related accidents last year. Many of those deaths involved pedestrians.

“Any person that enters a railroad property is trespassing,” Hunt clarifies. “And it’s a federal law and they can be cited for that. It can be expensive. It can be several hundred dollars.”

If there is an emergency, stopping a train is no easy task. An average freight train traveling 55 miles per hour needs at least a half mile to stop.

View News Archive »