HOUSTON – Union Pacific say many drivers are breaking the law at railroad crossings, including the one at Main and Fondren that FOX 26 visited Tuesday.
What is Operation UP CARES?
The backstory:
“So this is our UP CARES effort and initiative. We do this about once or twice every month by partnering with our local law enforcement and, really, it’s our commitment to safety. Safety is our number one priority for Union Pacific railroad and this is us demonstrating that,” said Richard Zientek, Senior Director of Public Affairs Union Pacific, “We are looking at what observations that we make from driver behavior that needs to be corrected.”
Union Pacific says they partnered with HPD for Operation UP CARES (Union Pacific Crossing Accident Reduction Education and Safety) to hand out violations to those who think they can beat the train.
“So it is making sure that motorists are not going around those gates arms when they come down, are they paying attention to ensure that they are not distracted, or they are following the correct rules when it comes to stopping or traversing through the crossing safely,” said Zientek.
By the numbers:
Richard Zientek explains how the city of Houston is growing rapidly and, with over 100 of their trains coming through the Houston and Harris County area, it’s important to ensure safe practices at railroad crossings.
“There are over 700 grade crossings within Houston and Harris County, which makes this one of the more unique cities and counties in our 23-state network. We want to make sure that we are showing our commitment to railroad safety education and why we launched Track Safe Houston. So partnering with our transportation partners and the community at large and school districts to get that railroad safety into the hands of community members,” said Zientek.
FOX 26 rides along on operation
FOX 26 went inside of a Union Pacific locomotive to observe motorist violations at multiple railroad crossings.
Chris Cordary, Special Agent with Union Pacific police, rode inside a train cab with two crew members.
We rode from the Main and Fondren intersection to South Post Oak to observe poor railroad crossing behaviors from drivers at multiple crossings along the route.
“So we look at FRE data that kind of drives where we do our events, and we also get our unsafe motors reporting, which is where the train crews report to us the violations that they are seeing,” said Cordary. “We will have over 40–60 citations over a four-hour time period.
Corday also pointed out that while many drivers are violating railroad crossing laws, he wants to make sure pedestrians are aware of the rules as well. He adds it’s important to be completely alert and not only watch but listen for an incoming train.
“It’s a quarter mile is when the train has to start blowing if they are not in the quiet zone,” said Cordary.
“So railroad tracks are private property, so it is illegal to be on railroad tracks at anytime unless you are at a designated pedestrian or vehicular crossing,” said Corday. “You can never take tracks as a shortcut to get to the corner store or to go to school or to get to work.”
Corday says that, sadly, however, many people in cars believe they can beat a train by crossing the track quickly, but unfortunately that is not the case. He adds its important that drivers stay behind the white line at railroad crossings.
“People don’t realize a train of significant length is coming, but we are a single locomotive. But if they would just wait for us to pass, they wouldn’t put themselves or the train crew in danger,” said Cordary. “So when the signals activate, that tells a motorist to stop and don’t go closer than 15 feet and that’s generally that’s where that white line is, and it’s a good location reminder for the motorist that you strop right here so you don’t get your car damaged by the gate arms or something like that.”
The importance of abiding by railroad crossing rules
Why you should care:
HPD officer Brandon Robinson spoke with FOX 26 after he and his team of multiple officers handed out over three dozen violations in the southwest Houston area at railroad crossings.
“Today we saw quite a few that were driving their vehicles and stopping them on the tracks,” said Robinson. “The other thing we saw was people trying to rush the track as the arms were coming down.”
Robinson wants to remind the public that not abiding by rail-road crossing rules could get you in serious trouble.
“If you get cited for one of these violations, especially for stopping on the railroad or railroad tracks for example, I mean you have to go to court for it. Those fines are $250 plus and court fees and so on and so on. And if you dont go to court, you could be issuing a warrant for your arrest,” said Officer Robinson. “Your car, your Ford Expedition or Explorer, is not going to stop a train and if you get hit, more often times than not, it’s extremely serious.”
Union Pacific offers safety reminders to the public
What you can do:
Union Pacific shares some safety reminders for the public.
SAFETY TIPS FOR PEDESTRIANS
- Always expect a train from any direction at any time.
- Only cross the tracks at designated railroad crossings, located where the street intersects with the tracks.
- Never walk between the rails or areas that are not designated railroad crossings.
- Avoid distractions including loud music, texting or talking on cell phones when crossing the railroad tracks.
- Stay away from trains and other railroad property, including trestles, yards and equipment.
- If you see a slow moving or stopped train, do not attempt to climb on or under rail equipment.
SAFETY TIPS FOR DRIVERS
- Slow down, look both ways and proceed if your entire vehicle can clear the railroad crossing.
- If a train approaches, stop at least 15 feet from the nearest rail.
- The train you see could be closer and faster moving than you think.
- If your vehicle ever stalls on the tracks, get out and get away from the tracks, even if you do not see a train. Locate the blue Emergency Notification System (ENS) sign and call the number provided, telling them about the stalled vehicle.In case of an emergency, look for the blue sign that shows the toll-free emergency phone number.
In case of emergency look for the blue sign that shows the toll-free emergency phone number.
At a multiple track crossing, watch out for trains traveling in either direction on all tracks.
Always expect a train! Freight trains do not follow set schedules.
HOW TO REPORT A BLOCKED CROSSING
Union Pacific understands the impact blocked crossings have for community members, and we work diligently to reduce the amount of time trains occupy the crossing.
If you need to report an issue, call 888-877-7267 or visit UP.com/notifyUP.
The Source: The information in this article comes from Union Pacific and the Houston Police Department.