New Lenox Proclaims National Rail Safety Week: A Call to Prevent Tragedy

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Country Herald Staff Report
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"Rutland, VT, USA - August 20, 2012: AMTRAK coach class train car stopped at a station in Rutland, Vermont with a railroad crossing sign and warning lights in the foreground. This is the Ethan Allen Express passenger train operated by AMTRAK, which runs the 241-mile route (388 km) between New York City and Rutland, Vermont, via Albany. The service is subsidized by Vermont State and carries about 50,000 passengers a year. The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak is operated and managed as a for-profit corporation and began operations on May 1, 1971 to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States."
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NEW LENOX, Illinois – The Village of New Lenox has proclaimed September 18th through 24th as National Rail Safety Week. 

The announcement comes as part of a nationwide effort to address the alarming statistics surrounding rail accidents and pedestrian trespassing incidents.

During 2022, the United States witnessed a staggering 2,194 rail grade crossing collisions, leading to 803 personal injuries and a heartbreaking 274 fatalities. Additionally, 1,208 pedestrian trespassing casualties occurred, resulting in 658 pedestrians losing their lives and another 550 sustaining injuries while trespassing on railroad property rights of way.

The proclamation emphasizes the importance of educating the public about rail safety, raising awareness that railroad right of ways are private property, and highlighting the dangers associated with highway rail grade crossings. It calls for pedestrians and motorists to remain vigilant near railways and adhere to established traffic laws.

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