ST. LOUIS — In the last several years and just this summer we've seen train derailments, deaths and injuries in and around the St. louis metro area. The week marks National Rail Safety Week, and each day there's a new call-to-action.
5 On Your Side's Diamond Palmer spoke to one of Norfolk Southern's top officials. The company operates nearly 20,000 miles of track and thousands across the Bi-State.
John Fleps serves as the vice president and chief safety officer at the train operations company.
"Staying aware of the hazards on the tracks, ultimately staying clear of the tracks. That's what this week is all about," Fleps said.
This week, he's asking people to keep safety top of mind for the public and train operators.
"Unfortunately, we have people struck all too often who are just walking down the tracks, often on their way to school with their back to a train, and they can't hear it, and a tragedy occurs," Fleps said.
National data from the Association of American Railroads in 2023 shows for all railroads since the year 2000 fatalities declined 71% .
Just this year in the St. Louis area a man died after being struck by a train one mile from downtown, a Metro link train crashed into a car in east St. Louis and an Amtrak train derailed in Washington, Missouri, while carrying 100 passengers.
According to the 2023 statistics from the Federal Railroad Administration, Missouri and Illinois both rank in the top 20 for the most train accidents and injuries.
"We do look at that kind of data. We also look at population density. We look at where we operate trains where speeds may be higher, where we run passenger trains. All of that plays into our strategy for investment and communication when it comes to enhancing rail safety," Fleps said.
Fleps said the best thing you can do is staying alert and clear of train tracks. And if you see a problem or an emergency you should call 911 and look for a blue and white emergency sign. It's the notification system which is on all railroad tracks.
It’ll tell you who to call and display a national crossing inventory number which identifies the crossing's exact location.
Ultimately Fleps urges people around the Bi-State to put their safety first and sign the pledge for Rail Safety.