RTD brings awareness to people getting hurt, killed on train tracks in Colorado
The Regional Transportation District is raising awareness about a dangerous trend they keep seeing -- people not crossing train tracks appropriately.
The week of Sept. 23 has been dedicated as Railroad Safety Week in an effort to lower the number of collisions, injuries and fatalities on their tracks.
RTD encourages riders and pedestrians to prioritize rail safety every day by paying attention to their surroundings, avoiding distractions and making smart choices to ensure safety around railroad tracks.
Below are some important safety tips to remember and share:
- Follow traffic rules and cross only at designated crossings;
- Always look both ways before crossing rail tracks;
- When a train is approaching, wait for it to pass then look for a second train in the other direction;
- Never walk, bike or drive across rail tracks when you see a moving train or red traffic signals;
- Stand behind the yellow warning lines on rail platforms until the train stops and the doors open;
- Never walk or bike along train tracks;
- Never climb between train cars:
- Never skateboard, skate or ride a bike on the platform, stairs or escalators;
- Stay away from the overhead train power line;
- Trains are quiet, be on high alert;
- Avoid distraction from headphones and cell phones when you are near train tracks;
To help bring this number down more, RTD experts are meeting with riders and pedestrians every day of the week to discuss the risks. RTD tells CBS News Colorado the biggest problem they see is people dropping their personal items onto the train tracks. Experts say you should never under any circumstance go onto the tracks.
"Some of our trains go 70 miles an hour," Jimmy Vigil, manager of commuter rail safety for RTD, said. "We can't stop a train like you can a car and trains don't steer. They only go in one direction so we can't veer off the tracks."
In 2023, 12 people were killed in train-related accidents in Colorado, down from a 10-year high of 16 deaths in 2019, but up from a low of 7 deaths in 2014, 2015 and 2017, according to the Federal Railroad Administration.
Here are the dates and times you can meet with an RTD expert to discuss railroad safety:
- Wednesday, Sept. 25, 6 to 10 a.m. at Peoria Station
- Thursday, Sept. 26, 6 to 10 a.m. at 38th and Blake Station
- Friday, Sept. 27, 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. at Eastlake and 124th Station
