PRNewswire-FirstCall
Consider the following facts about the dangers of trespassing on railroad property:
- Train tracks are private property. Walking or riding on any railroad right of way or other railroad property without the permission of the railroad is trespassing and illegal. Violators will be prosecuted, and they risk the possibility of serious, even fatal, injury.
- Trains do not operate on a predictable schedule, and they can move in either direction at any time. Always expect a train.
- Trestles are not built to be sidewalks or pedestrian bridges. Bridges and tunnels only have room for trains to pass. Trespassing on railroad bridges and in tunnels increases the chances of serious injury or death.
- Highway-rail intersections should only be crossed at designated pedestrian or roadway crossing locations. Look for a second train moving from either direction.
- Locomotives weigh approximately 200 tons. Trains with 100 railcars can weigh more than 6,000 tons. An automobile being hit by a train is proportional to a soda can being hit by a car.
- Trains cannot stop quickly. A freight train traveling at 55 miles per hour needs more than a mile to stop. That’s equal to 18 football fields.
- Trains can overhang the tracks by three feet on each side. Straps or other tie downs may extend even farther. Standing next to the tracks is dangerous.