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City of Marshall Police and Fire Chiefs
join with Marshall Depot Board to raise awareness
during 2023 Rail Safety Week
Fire Chief Reggie Cooper and Police Chief Cliff Carruth of the City of Marshall, Texas have joined forces with the volunteer Board of Directors of the Marshall Depot, which operates Marshall’s local Amtrak station, to help raise awareness about the importance of safety around railroad tracks and crossings. This local rail safety awareness campaign in Marshall and Harrison County is in coordination with this year’s annual Rail Safety Week (September 18-24). Rail Safety Week is spearheaded by Operation Lifesaver Inc., in collaboration with freight and passenger railroads, law enforcement agencies, and first responders across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Rachel Maleh, Executive Director of Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI), a non-profit public safety education and awareness organization, shared: “Our mission at Operation Lifesaver is to save lives by helping people make safe choices around railroad tracks and trains. We are thrilled to join forces today with Amtrak and our incredible first responders nationwide. We welcome their support in educating communities on the importance of rail safety and making safe choices all year round. Together, we can help stop track tragedies.” |
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Fire Chief Reggie Cooper shared: “I was born in Marshall, Texas and, like all of us who live here, we know that Marshall is a strong and proud railroad city. And, with the important benefits that are brought to us as a city, community, and region by our freight and passenger rail partners, we also need to be knowledgeable of and continue to raise awareness about how our citizens can be safe around railroad tracks and crossings.” Marshall Police Chief Cliff Carruth said: “As chiefs of our Marshall Police Department and Marshall Fire Department, we, and our first responders, consistently focus on safety in all aspects of our community. This, of course, includes rail safety. So, we appreciate the opportunity to work together with Operation Lifesaver and the volunteers at our Marshall Depot to share important information about how we can all work together to make our community safer, regarding rail.” According to Operation Lifesaver Inc., some of the important rail statistics for citizens to know are: • Every three hours in the United States, a person or vehicle is hit by a train; • More than 2,100 people are injured or killed annually in rail crossing and trespassing incidents in North America; and • More than 60% of collisions occur at crossings equipped with lights and/or gates Christina Anderson, president of the Marshall Depot Board of Directors, shared: “We, in Marshall, Texas and Harrison County feel very fortunate, of course, to be an Amtrak-Served Community, as well as an Amtrak crew change stop. We’re very fortunate to have Union Pacific as our freight carrier partner as well. We appreciate the transportation opportunities and economic benefits that these rail partners bring to our community with regard to freight and passenger rail.” Ms. Anderson added: “We also thank Chief Cooper, Chief Carruth, the City of Marshall and Harrison County for partnering with us in emphasizing the need for our community and all communities to have a strong focus on rail safety and to work together on the shared mission of reducing deaths and injuries at highway-rail grade crossings and around tracks and trains.” Chief Carruth, Chief Cooper, and the Marshall Depot wished to share the following helpful information, provided by Operation Lifesaver, for the benefit of pedestrians, drivers, students, and all citizens: 1. Freight trains don't travel at fixed times. Schedules for passenger trains often change. Always expect a train. 2. All train tracks are private property. Never walk on tracks; it's illegal trespass and highly dangerous. 3. It takes the average freight train traveling 55 mph more than a mile—the length of 18 football fields—to stop. Trains cannot stop quickly. 4. The average locomotive weighs about 400,000 pounds or 200 tons; it can weigh up to 6,000 tons. This makes the weight ratio of a car to a train proportional to that of a soda can to a car. We all know what happens to a soda can hit by a car. 5. Trains have the right of way 100% of the time over pedestrians and vehicles, including police and emergency vehicles. 6. Trains overhang tracks. Stay 15 feet back from the tracks. Always assume railroad tracks are in use, even if there are weeds or the track looks unused. 7. Trains can move on any track, in either direction at any time. Sometimes its cars are pushed by locomotives instead of being pulled, which is especially true in commuter and light rail passenger service. 8. Trains are quieter and moving faster than you think – only trains belong on the tracks. Today's trains are quieter than ever, producing no telltale "clackety-clack." 9. Remember to cross train tracks ONLY at designated pedestrian or roadway crossings, and obey warning signs and signals posted there. 10. Stay alert around railroad tracks. Refrain from texting, using headphones or other distractions that would prevent you from hearing an approaching train; never mix rails and recreation. Police Chief Carruth, who has served as Chief of the Marshall Police Department for 6 years after 22 years of service with the FBI, said: “We hope our Marshall community, as well as communities throughout our East Texas and Ark-La-Tex region and beyond, will take time to read and share this important information with your family members, churches, schools, civic groups, colleagues, and friends.” Fire Chief Reggie Cooper, who has served 30 years with Marshall Fire Department and 9 years as Chief, agreed: “Though Rail Safety Week may be observed only once a year, rail safety is something that everyone needs to observe every single day.” Ms. Anderson went on to say that information provided by Operation Lifesaver is also available at the Amtrak ticket office of the Marshall Depot, located at 800 North Washington Avenue in downtown Marshall, Texas. She added: “In addition to the benefits we receive from having passenger and freight rail in our community, there is also a responsibility we have to work together to ensure safety. Sharing this information can help save lives.” For more information, go to the Operation Lifesaver Inc. website at: https://oli.org/ To take the Rail Safety Pledge, go to: https://oli.org/pledge/adults or https://oli.org/pledge/kids Also, for excellent brief videos about this to view and share with others, go to:https://oli.org/about-us/public-awareness-campaigns/rail-safety-week Operation Lifesaver is a nonprofit public safety education and awareness organization dedicated to stopping track tragedies. For more than 50 years, Operation Lifesaver programs have saved lives via public awareness campaigns and a network of trained volunteers across the U.S. who give free presentations encouraging safe behavior near railroad tracks and trains. # Captions for attached photos: Photo #1. (r to l) Marshall Police Chief Cliff Carruth, Marshall Fire Chief Reggie Cooper, and President of the Marshall Depot Board Christina Anderson at the Marshall Depot in Marshall, Texas during Rail Safety Week. Photo #2. A rail crossing just west of downtown Marshall, Texas. Photo #3. An Amtrak Conductor and local Amtrak Customer Service Representative assist passengers at the Marshall Depot to board the Texas Eagle train safely. |
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