Issue date: 7/23/07 Section: News

Media Credit: File - The Battalion [Click to enlarge]

Since Texas A&M was founded, the Union Pacific railroad tracks has marked the division between between the main and west campus. Many streets are intersected by these tracks, creating a serious safety concern. Several accidents occur each year involving broken tail lights, mainly the result of impatient students on their way to classes. However, some accidents can be worse than others.

Texas A&M student Walker Best was killed in a train accident in August 2006, while attempting to "train jump." This demonstrated the need for proper safety procedures concerning the Union Pacific track running through campus. Not many students are aware of the fact that it is illegal and highly dangerous to be anywhere near the railroad, putting lives in danger.

Because the three main crossings on or around the A&M campus have no regular schedule, railway safety is extremely important. According to Sally Tingle, state coordinator of Operation Lifesaver, a nationwide organization dedicated to railway safety education, Texas has the highest number of collisions and railroad trespassers in the entire country.

"With those statistics," she said, "railroad safety awareness should be the first concern in a community such as College Station, where a large population lives around an active railway."

Joe Bordon, a safety technician for Union Pacific Railroads, said, "Many incidents do happen and basic physics are behind most of these incidents. Union Pacific does its best to prevent accidents as much as they can."

Even so, nearly 1,000 people die or are severely injured each year in railway accidents.

According to Risa Bierman of the Student Life office, some marketing classes at A&M have been trying to raise awareness, especially with new students. By including warnings about train safety in the speech given to parents at New Student Conferences, A&M hopes to decrease the number of these preventable incidents.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools