Rail Safety Month

Be Track Smart. Stay Focused, Stay Alive!

Rail Safety Month, September 2012.

In September, Metrolink is observing Railroad Safety Month by launching a new outreach effort to caution pedestrians to eliminate distractions around train tracks: Be Track Smart. Stay Focused, Stay Alive.

There are more distractions today than ever before. Phones, texts, music, and video games limit our ability to maintain awareness of our surroundings and make safe judgments.  Take a moment and share with your family and friends the importance of making safe decisions and eliminating distractions around train tracks and at train stations.

Your friends at Metrolink remind you to...

  •  Always follow directional signs and markings that let you know where it is safe to cross the tracks.
  • Always obey all warning signs and signals and use caution when using headsets or cell phones.
  • Always expect a train…On any track, at any time, going any direction.
  • Never trespass on railroad property.


Six things to know about train safety.


1. STAY ALERT.
Trains can come from either direction at any time and can be very quiet.  Around train tracks or in stations, obey all warning signs and signals and use caution when using headsets or cell phones.


2. WATCH THE OVERHANG.
Trains are wider than the tracks; never sit on the edge of a station platform.


3. STAND AWAY FROM THE PLATFORM EDGE.
Pay attention to painted or raised markings at the platform edge, and stay at least three feet from the train while it is coming in or out of the station.


4. WHEN ON BOARD, HOLD ON.
Always use the handrail when boarding and leaving the train. Please watch your step. Always hold the handrail when climbing or descending the stairs on board the train or at the station.


5. WATCH YOUR STEP.
Be careful getting on and off the train.


6. DON'T TAKE SHORTCUTS WITH YOUR LIFE!
Follow directional signs and markings that let you know where it is safe to cross the tracks.


In 2009, the California Legislature designated September as Rail Safety Month. The Senate Concurrent Resolution encouraged “local, state, and federal government, industry, and citizen efforts to improve railroad crossing safety and support increased funding for rail safety.”

The resolution also strongly urged all Californians to be cautious and safe around all railroad tracks.