(The following story by Anjanette Flowers appeared on television station News 14 Charlotte’s website on December 11.)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — CSX railroad officials say they are targeting pedestrians who walk along railroad tracks in Charlotte.
The act is not only dangerous; it is a crime.
“It is against the law, and they could possibly be prosecuted for being there,” said Nelson High, CSX?s public safety coordinator.
Statistics show that trespassing is a leading cause of railroad fatalities in the United States. Since 1990, more than 5,000 people were killed while trespassing on railroad property.
“So many people don’t realize the dangers they confront when they do come on railroad property,” High said. “Trains are heavy. Trains cannot stop quickly, nor can they swerve to miss anyone.”
CSX said that a train can take a mile or more to come to a complete stop.
But it is not just the trespassers’ safety that CSX is concerned about. They are also worried about the railroad crews who work at night.
“There’s all kind of glass where (the trespassers) break beer bottles, and also they throw a lot of trash on the ground,” Terminal Manager A.T. Little said.
In an effort to stop trespassing and littering, CSX is aggressively focusing on certain areas, like the tracks behind the Urban Ministry Center on College Street.
Railroad trespassers are subject to an arrest and a fine.