First held in the U.S. in 2017, this National Rail Safety week effort among Operation Lifesaver Inc., State Operation Lifesaver Programs and rail safety partners across the U.S., Canada and Mexico is now called See Tracks? Think Train Week throughout the U.S. to better reflect the purpose of this week-long observance:
- Preventing railroad crossing and trespass incidents across North America
- Concentrating public attention on the need for rail safety education
In this article, South Carolina Public Radio will take you on a behind the scenes look at how the railroad industry impacts our state in regards to economic impact, passenger rail and railroad safety.
Author Note: Check back each day this week for a new section! Monday: Operation Lifesaver, Tuesday: CSX, Wednesday: Amtrak, Thursday: Norfolk Southern, Friday: 4 minute audio wrap
Operation Lifesaver
Operation Lifesaver (OLI) is a nonprofit organization and a nationally recognized leader of rail safety education. The organization has been around since 1972 and has been committed to preventing collisions, injuries and fatalities on and around railroad tracks and rail grade crossings. OLI has programs in Washington D.C and in 47 states, including South Carolina.
Bridget Videtto, South Carolina's State Coordinator for OLI, said that South Carolina ranks 11th in the country for the highest number of railway collisions and fatalities. Videtto said that they have a leadership committee for South Carolina that consists of representatives from the two biggest freight train companies in our state: Norfolk Southern and CSX. OLI acts as the safety representative for the palmetto state.
"We like to call them incidents instead of accidents as we think it is preventable," Videtto said, "We can educate our communities and we can do our best to encourage people to make the right choices."
Within the last three years, South Carolina has had 163 incidents at highway grade crossings, with 20 people killed in collisions and 50 people injured. Videtto also said that our state is experiencing trespassing issues. In the last three years, 23 people have been killed and 15 people have been injured from trespassing onto private rail yards. According to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), trespassing is the leading cause of rail-related deaths in the United States, with more than 500 trespass fatalities each year.
It's important to remember that it is illegal to access private railroad property anywhere other than a designated pedestrian or roadway crossing. The FRA states that some trespassers are loitering or are engaged in recreational activities such as taking photographs, jogging, bicycling, hunting, or operating recreational off-highway vehicles (ROVs). According to the FRA, riding ROVs along railroad tracks leads to the erosion of an important part of the track foundation known as ballast, or the rock and soil material that supports the ties and rail. Damage to the ballast degrades the entire track structure and can lead to a train derailment—which can cause a hazardous materials spill or damage to other people and property.
"The track is meant for the trains and the trains only," said Bridget Videtto, "They don't have a steering wheel to get out of the way, that is what they are meant to be on."
The average freight train travels around 55 miles per hour and at that speed, it takes about a mile for a train to come to a complete stop. That's roughly 18 football fields in length. Videtto said that if you are stuck on railroad tracks, there is a way to contact the train company to alert them of an obstruction.
The Emergency Notification Systems (ENS) sign gives the public critical emergency contact information at every highway-rail grade crossing. The information on the ENS sign enables the public to reach the railroad responsible for the crossing and to identify the specific crossing in the event of an emergency.
The signs contain the railroad’s emergency contact number and the U.S. Department of Transportation National Crossing Inventory Number, which identifies the exact location of the crossing to the railroads.
In our state, Bridget Videtto said that Greenville, Spartanburg, Charleston and Richland counties are the top 4 counties for highway rail collisions over the past five to ten years.
"Trains have the right of way 100% of the time," said Videtto, "That is what their road is, it's the track."
For more on Operation Lifesaver and volunteer opportunities, you can visit oli.org.
