June
20, 2014
HARRISBURG,
PA. - Norfolk Southern and Operation Lifesaver are bringing their Whistle-Stop
safety train tour to Delaware and eastern and central Pennsylvania to stress the
importance of public safety around railroad tracks.
The
Keystone Whistle-Stop Safety Train starts in Delaware on Monday, June 23, and by
Thursday, June 26, the train will have transited through communities such as
Harrington, Dover, Newark, Pottstown, Reading, Lebanon, Harrisburg, Lewistown,
Altoona, and Latrobe.
Since
January 2011, Delaware has experienced 17 train vs. vehicle incidents at
highway-rail grade crossings, and one pedestrian has been struck.
Over
the same period, Pennsylvania has experienced 185 train vs. vehicle incidents.
Between January and March 2014 alone, 21 incidents have occurred, compared with
9 during the same period in 2013. During this decade in Pennsylvania, 108 people
have died while trespassing on railroad property and another 102 were
injured.
"There
is no more important time than now for public safety officials and entire
communities to learn how people can stay safe and alive around railroad tracks
and other property," said Cayela Wimberly, NS' grade crossing safety
director.
"We
need a strong partnership between the railroad companies and the communities to
keep the public safe near railroad tracks, bridges, yards, and grade crossings,"
added Thomas Algatt, state coordinator for Operation Lifesaver in Pennsylvania.
"We need parents, educators, neighbors, railfans, and friends to spread the word
- stay away from tracks, stay away from trains, stay safe, and stay alive. And
we're going to talk on the Keystone Whistle-Stop Safety Train about how you can
have that conversation with the people you care about."
The
train includes two NS locomotives with the Operation Lifesaver logo displayed on
their flanks, two vintage passenger cars, the NS Exhibit Car, and the NS
Research and Test car. Passengers will include railroaders, Operation Lifesaver
representatives, public safety advocates, and news media, all of who will
observe via live video the train crew's point-of-view as the train moves on the
track and approaches grade crossings.
It's
the third such trip this year for Norfolk Southern and Operation Lifesaver on
the NS network. A fourth trip is scheduled in Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri
later this summer.
Operation
Lifesaver
(www.oli.org) is a national nonprofit safety
organization whose mission is to end collisions, deaths, and injuries at
highway-rail grade crossings and along railroad rights of way.
Norfolk
Southern Corporation
(NYSE: NSC) is one of the nation's premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk
Southern Railway Company subsidiary operates approximately 20,000 route
miles
in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serves every major container port in
the eastern United States, and provides efficient connections to other rail
carriers. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the
East and is a major transporter of coal, automotive, and industrial
products.
###
Pennsylvania
Operation Lifesaver contact:
Thomas
Algatt, 717-620-9788
(coordinator@oliofpa.org)
Norfolk Southern
contacts: