It’s not as much of a problem in Galesburg as it used to be given all the accommodations made in recent years, but it’s still possible that a person could get into some form of an accident with a train.
This is Rail Safety Week in Illinois, and Illinois Commerce Commission Chairman Doug Scott says this year’s theme is “See Tracks? Think Safety!” and for good reason.
“Last year, Illinois ranked fifth in the nation for the most trespassing casualties on train tracks,” said Scott, at a news conference in Chicago’s Union Station. “In 2023 alone, our state had 55 pedestrian trespassing accidents, which included 35 fatalities, and 20 injuries. While Illinois casualties are down from 2022, these numbers remind us just how important it is to promote safe behaviors.”
Behaviors, Scott says, like obeying rail crossing signals, and staying alert along train tracks.
Steve Predmore, Chief Security Officer for Amtrak, says pedestrian trespassing on rail property is a big concern for them, even in areas where the rails are owned by entities like Burlington Northern Santa Fe and not Amtrtak.
“We must continue our efforts to eliminate all railroad crossing and trespassing deaths that catastrophically, and all too frequently, impact the lives and well-beings of the individuals, their families, friends, colleagues, and the community at large,” said Predmore. “Pedestrians and drivers often don’t comprehend the dangers of walking across crossings, or how long it takes for an average train to stop.”
Which, Predmore says, is about a mile.
Amtrak claimed the recent death of a Kewanee man not far from the city’s train station after he was hit by an Amtrak train was because that person was “trespassing” on rail property. Police, however, never confirmed that.
Illinois, the ICC says, has the second largest rail system in the nation, at more than 7,000 miles. BNSF has long been Galesburg’s largest employer, since the closure 20 years ago of the local Maytag plant.
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