NY & Atlantic Railway Urges Public to Practice Railroad Safety

Douglaston, NY; September 23, 2020 — In observance of Rail Safety Week, being held this year from September 21-27, New York & Atlantic Railway (NYAR) joins Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI) in support of this vital public awareness initiative to encourage drivers and pedestrians to practice safe behavior near railroad tracks.

Every year more than 2,100 people across North America are killed or seriously injured because of unsafe behavior around tracks and trains. Operation Lifesaver, with programs in the U.S. and Canada, works to prevent these incidents.

“NYAR’s support of Rail Safety Week underscores our commitment to safety and the importance of being safe around rail tracks,” said James P. Bonner, president of NYAR. “Most incidents involving accidents between trains and automobiles or pedestrians are completely preventable, especially if people understand how to act safely around rail tracks and trains.”

Learn more about rail safety by visiting Operation Lifesaver, Inc. www.oli.org.

NYAR and Operation Lifesaver, Inc. offer the following tips on track safety basics:

• Freight trains don’t travel at fixed times, and schedules for passenger trains often change. Always expect a train at each highway-rail intersection at any time.
• All train tracks are private property. Never walk on tracks; it’s illegal to trespass and highly dangerous. It takes the average freight train traveling at 55 mph more than a mile—the length of 18 football fields—to stop. Trains cannot stop quickly enough to avoid a collision.
• The average freight locomotive weighs about 400,000 pounds or 200 tons; it can weigh up to 6,000 tons. This makes the weight ratio of a car to a train proportional to that of a soda can to a car.
• Trains have the right of way 100% of the time over emergency vehicles, cars, the police and pedestrians.
• A train can extend three feet or more beyond the steel rail, putting the safety zone for pedestrians well beyond the three-foot mark. If there are rails on the railroad ties, always assume the track is in use, even if the track looks unused.
• Trains can move in either direction at any time. Sometimes freight cars are pushed by locomotives instead of being pulled, especially at crossings in New York City.
• Today’s trains are quieter than ever, producing no telltale “clackety-clack.” Any approaching train is always closer, moving faster than you think.
• Remember to cross train tracks ONLY at designated pedestrian or roadway crossings and obey all warning signs and signals posted there.
• Stay alert around railroad tracks. Refrain from texting, headphones, or other distractions that would prevent you from hearing an approaching train; never mix rails and recreation.

Rail freight is a critical part of New York’s economy, providing quality, good-paying jobs and delivering important food and materials for construction, manufacturing, food production, and energy. Locomotives used by New York and Atlantic Railway to provide rail freight services are clean, energy-efficient, and help to reduce the region’s carbon footprint. Rail freight services in New York City and on Long Island keep thousands of trucks off of local streets and highways each year, reducing traffic congestion and lessening air pollution.

Operation Lifesaver, Inc. is a nonprofit public safety education and awareness organization dedicated to reducing collisions, fatalities, and injuries at highway-rail crossings and preventing trespassing on or near railroad tracks. A national network of trained volunteers gives free presentations on rail safety and a public awareness campaign, See Tracks? Think Train! provides tips and statistics to encourage safe behavior near the tracks. OLI leads an international observance of Rail Safety Week each September. Learn more about Rail Safety Week; follow OLI on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube.

For over 20 years, New York & Atlantic Railway has been the exclusive freight service provider operating on over 270 miles of the Long Island Rail Road system. The railroad services Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island. The important transportation services the Railway provides supports regional economic growth and significantly reduces regional truck traffic and CO2 emissions. For more information about the NYA and its services, visit www.anacostia.com/railroads/nya.

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