Unsafe behavior around railroad tracks is the focus as AmTrak works with law enforcement on this second day of Rail Safety Week in Minnesota. Sheryl Cummings with Minnesota Operation Lifesaver says, “If they stop and talk to them, they’re more likely to not make that unsafe decision again in the future.”
Cummings says if you’re around tracks, always expect a train. “With freight trains, they’re obviously very rarely traveling on any kind of a set schedule…. Even passenger trains and the light rail trains, you can never be sure whether they are coming or not, because they could be ahead of schedule, they could be behind schedule,” she says.
Cummings says a train may seem farther away than it actually is, and freight or passenger trains can take up to a mile to stop. Even if the engineer can see you, it’s too late to prevent a collision. People on foot should stay off railroad cars and tracks, because it’s illegal and too often it’s deadly.