(The following story by Tim Linn appeared on the Leavenworth Times website on April 18.)
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. — A train pulled into the Union Pacific station in Leavenworth on Wednesday and wouldn’t leave until accomplishing its mission.
The passenger train was on loan from the Union Pacific Railroad, and visited Leavenworth as part of Operation Lifesaver, a railroad safety program through Union Pacific.
John Simpson, manager of public safety for the railroad, said the statistics for railroad fatalities were alarming enough to provoke the program, which provides free presentations to public officials, schools and other groups about reducing the risk of fatalities at railroad crossings. He admitted that the statistics were still surprising.
“Every two hours, somebody’s struck by a train,” he said.
The stop in Leavenworth was part of a three-state tour where Simpson and a small crew give presentations to “the highest risk areas” is Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri. Simpson said rural areas are frequently targeted because they tend to have the highest number of collisions, though causes were unknown.
“I can’t explain that,” he said.
Simpson charged that most collisions are caused by driver complacency, something he said all drivers are likely to experience at some point.
“The one time you forget to look — that’s when an accident happens,” he said.
Simpson said Leavenworth is in an unusual situation as far as train accidents are concerned. Because of fewer railroad crossings, he said the number of fatalities is lower than in other areas.
According to Simpson, railroad crossings pose such a threat because the immense weight of the trains makes it difficult to stop.
“If a train is traveling 55 miles per hour, it can take up to a mile to stop,” he said.
The program began in Idaho in 1972 and was adopted by Kansas in 1974. Since that time, Simpson said the number of driver fatalities have decreased by 75 percent. Simpson asserts this reduction is at least partly due to the program.
However, though the number of driver fatalities has decreased, he said there has been an increase in trespassing fatalities.
“If you’re on the tracks anywhere but the public crossing, you are trespassing,” he said.
He said Operation Lifesaver is communicating with local officials because railroad fatalities are as much a community problem as a railroad problem.
Mark Alexander, an engineer for Union Pacific who goes through Leavenworth frequently, said employees of the railroad have a unique perspective to offer on the subject.
“The worst thing is to not have control,” he said.