Caltrain Announces Film Festival

Written by Christine Dunn:

Caltrain will mark Railroad Safety Month with a film festival that highlights how to stay safe while living, working and going to school near an active railroad. 

The festival will premiere a series of rail safety video “vignettes” that reinforce positive behaviors and point out unsafe actions near train tracks. The videos were produced by Fresh Takes, a Redwood City digital arts program for teens.            

The program is being paid for through a grant for rail safety education awarded by Operation Lifesaver and the Federal Transit Administration.

WHO: Caltrain’s Board Chair Ken Yeager will be on hand to make opening remarks.  Each of the student filmmakers will present their video and offer their thoughts on the film making process and what they learned about rail safety during this project.

The event is open to the public but seating is limited and attendance is first come first served.

WHERE: Cinemark 20, 825 Middlefield Rd., Redwood City     

WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 26 - 3 p.m.

WHY: Caltrain addresses safety through a comprehensive, ongoing program that focuses on the “three E’s of railroad safety” - education, enforcement and engineering. Finding new ways to communicate these important messages can be challenging. To address this challenge, Caltrain partnered with Fresh Takes, a youth digital arts center located in Redwood City a few blocks from the Caltrain station.

Following the premiere, Caltrain will use the PSAs in public presentations, online and through other forums to reach a wider audience with the rail safety messages.

Caltrain’s commitment to safety extends far beyond September, with a year-round, day-in, day-out emphasis on safety around trains and train tracks. The agency is constantly working to improve the safety of the rail corridor through enforcement campaigns in cooperation with local law enforcement agencies, rail corridor fencing projects and by improving safety at stations.