Safety Program Out to Train the Public

Law enforcement and transportation officials converted the Metrolink train platform into a bustling stage for a press conference Monday with a simple message for drivers and pedestrians: Don’t cross paths with trains.

The press conference at the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center and the ceremonial passing of a train lantern was part of Operation Lifesaver, a weeklong nationwide series of events to raise awareness of train safety.

In California, the number of motorists killed by trains decreased from 216 in 1994 to 191 in 1995. While the number of pedestrians killed--73--has remained constant over the same period, officials are concerned because California leads the nation in such fatalities. Orange County hasn’t recorded any train-pedestrian deaths since two in 1994, law enforcement officials said.

Pedestrians “just don’t realize that a 300-ton train going 50 mph is not going to stop on a dime,” Metrolink spokesman Peter Hidalgo said.

Transportation officials say train safety is more important than ever in California because of an increasing number of freight and passenger trains in a region more accustomed to cars.

“Commuter rail is a new concept in Southern California,” said Sarah L. Catz, chairwoman of the Metrolink board and a member of the Orange County Transportation Authority, at the press conference. People “think they can still run along the tracks.”

With Metrolink officials saying they are doing everything possible to prevent collisions, Monday’s event was an attempt to educate drivers and pedestrians.

Metrolink operates 404 miles of track in San Bernardino, Ventura, Orange, Riverside and Los Angeles counties. Hidalgo said every one of the 350 crossings is marked by crossing gates, lights and bells.

Catz noted that in August, Metrolink will begin an eight-month pilot program of installing cameras at each of four crossings in Los Angeles and Riverside to photograph the license plates of vehicles trying to maneuver around lowered gates.