Residents urged to stay off tracks

[Trainspotter]

Residents urged to stay off tracks

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., July 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall

 

With summer activities in full swing, CSX Transportation (CSXT) asks you to stay safe and stay off railroad tracks. That means walk, ride, sit or picnic

somewhere other than railroad tracks and property, where hundreds of people

are killed or injured nationwide each year.

 

"Trains do not take holidays," said Cliff Stayton, CSXT director of

Public Safety Awareness. "In fact, CSXT trains will be running on July 4.

For safety's sake, residents should stay away from all railroad property.

Always expect a train."

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.

 

CSXT has posted at every rail crossing a toll free number -

1-800-232-0144 - that citizens should use to call the company's Public

Safety Coordination Center to report an unsafe act or accident on CSXT

railroad property.

 

CSX Transportation Inc. is a principal operating company of CSX

Corporation. CSX Corporation, based in Jacksonville, Fla., is one of the

leading transportation companies, providing rail, intermodal and

rail-to-truck transload services. The Company's transportation network

spans 21,000 miles with service to 23 eastern states and the District of

Columbia, and connects to more than 70 ocean, river and lake ports. More

information about CSX Corporation and its subsidiaries is available at the

Company's website, http://www.csx.com.