LOS ANGELES - As part of ongoing safety efforts, the Southern California Rail Safety Team (SCRST) partnered with numerous law enforcement agencies throughout the region to complete a series of grade crossing enforcements this month.
September was designated Rail Safety Month by the 2009 passage of California Senate Concurrent Resolution 10, with the goal of decreasing rail-related accidents through the promotion of public safety awareness.
On Thursday, September 26, the SCRST conducted a directed enforcement operation targeting all traffic/pedestrian trespasser violators along Metrolink's Riverside Line involving the cities of Rowland Heights, La Puente and City of Industry. The tracks are owned and operated by Union Pacific Railroad.
At the Nogales Street and Fairway Drive crossings, 44 drivers cited, while one arrest was made by the California Highway Patrol and the Union Pacific Railroad Police Department with support from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The enforcement took place between 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
SCRST partners Union Pacific, Metrolink, Amtrak, BNSF Railway and Operation Lifesaver partnered with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the California Highway Patrol to encourage drivers and pedestrians engaged in safe behavior at crossing.
Union Pacific Public Safety provided the following information regarding the crossings (from 2009 to present):
Nogales - 8 accidents, 4 broken gates, 38 unsafe motorist reports, 9 reports of blocked crossing, and 2 vehicles on track.
Fairway - 3 accidents, 13 broken gates, 4 unsafe motorist reports, 1 report of blocked crossing, and 1 vehicle on track.
The Sept. 26 enforcement was just one of a series of efforts this month in the region.
On Wednesday, Sept. 25, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Metrolink Bureau coordinated the second operation along Metrolink's San Bernardino Line in eight days. The Sept. 25 effort resulted in 50 grade crossing citations issued to drivers of motor vehicles, while two trespassers were arrested. Joining the LASD were officers from the California Highway Patrol, along with the La Verne, Baldwin Park, Irwindale, El Monte and Union Pacific police departments.
The Sept. 18 enforcement was completed in San Bernardino County. The San Bernardino County operation was supported by officers from the California Highway Patrol, along with the Montclair, Fontana, Union Pacific and BNSF police departments.
The goal of these enforcements are to support our commitment of making sure that everyone who interacts with the tracks, trains and right of ways does so safely.
In Riverside County, the BNSF Railway Police Department conducted a joint crossing enforcement with the City of Riverside Police Department on Sept. 25. A total of 74 grade crossing citations were issued to drivers of motor vehicles.
Also, on Sept. 11, enforcement personnel were deployed for 3.5 hours in an Orange County Wide joint effort recording 126 vehicle and 21 pedestrian citations. The operation was coordinated by the Fullerton Police Department, in collaboration with Metrolink, OCTA, freight police departments and other local law enforcement agencies.
ABOUT METROLINK (www.metrolinktrains.com)
Metrolink is Southern California's regional commuter rail service in its 19th year of operation. The Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA), a joint powers authority made up of an 11-member board representing the transportation commissions of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties, governs the service. Metrolink operates over seven routes through a six-county, 512 route-mile network. Metrolink is the third largest commuter rail agency in the United States based on directional route miles and the eighth largest based on annual ridership.
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