Crossing these train tracks could get you arrested

Original airdate: 11/8/2018 | Big behemoth-like freight locomotives lumber through Berks County every day. If you're too close to the tracks, you could get hurt or killed.
"If the wind's blowing in your face, you won't hear them coming," said Hugh McCormack, special agent for Norfolk Southern Police.
Norfolk Southern Rail brought in special agents to crack down on the problem of people crossing railroad tracks in Reading. The company owns about three miles of rail in the city. Officials say 26 people were killed on railroad tracks last year in Pennsylvania and almost a third of those occurred on Norfolk Southern's tracks.
"The numbers are getting higher than we'd like," said McCormack. "So we want to come out today to let the community know that you just can't be walking down the railroad tracks, that it's a crime to be trespassing."
Police issued warnings to people crossing tracks near 7th and Penn and on North 2nd Street off of Buttonwood Street. 69 News saw people routinely cross over the tracks without even looking both ways.
Police have put up no trespassing signs in English and in Spanish, but officers say most people just ignore them. Anyone caught on or near the tracks could be arrested.
View the full story at WFMZ.com:
www.wfmz.com/ne...

[@jenwright2577]

Maby they should just build a walkway over there inconvenient death trap then if there so worried about it! If you get hit by a train its because either you wanted to or your trying to win a Darwin award!

[@Dodener]

its called going around, building a walkway can cost millions, block the rail yard while its under construction, and allow morons to throw stuff ontop of the engines as they are passing. there is a reason you dont see those anymore. also not government property, so they cant do anything about it. be smart and walk around

[@25mfd]

GOOD COMMENT!!!

[@carringtonndhlovu6145]

Overpass: "Am I a joke to you"

[@NC_YT_123]

The real kicker is the mother that just brings her kid on the tracks, not only is she endangering her life but also her child’s, that’s basically child abuse if you think about it.

[@strasburgrailfan90]

This is like saying crossing the street is child endangerment it’s the same thing look both ways then cross

[@NC_YT_123]

@@strasburgrailfan90 Yeah but you cross a designated railroad crossing not in an area where it’s clearly listed as trespassing.

[@DARK_AMBIGUOUS]

Every time you take your child in your car, you are putting them at risk, you should be charged with child abuse. Also if you feed them, they might choke and die, that's child abuse. What's wrong with you?

[@OhioRiverSubdivision-hs5xr]

@@strasburgrailfan90jaywalking with a kid is pretty much child endangerment

[@gabrielquinones3343]

@@DARK_AMBIGUOUShow is riding in a car putting them at risk

[@juansandoval8483]

When I was a kid we used to cross them , get on trains, and cross the tracks under the trains that were moving.

[@southernrailwayfan1338]

As a kid my dad used to go into railroad tracks where it had been dug in the ground and would walk around and explore its a dumb thing to do but my dad used to run out of there when a train passed and now I do it every so often not somewhere you would get stuck but just in general cops in my town are cool about it

[@CTSLRailfan]

@me mememe what kind of question is that, of course he didn’t die. he’s literally here to tell the story…

[@mememanfresh]

@@CTSLRailfan what did he say

[@jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821]

@@southernrailwayfan1338 and im the king of pluto

[@salvagemonster3612]

That is called a HOBO darling.

[@benjewell2109]

Anytime they have tried to put up fencing here, it has holes cut in it within a couple days. Tracks are in an inconvenient place so everyone just crosses. As long as you look, listen, and have half a brain, everything is fine.

[@Tokax]

Still trespassing

[@traindev1]

@@Tokax "still trespassing 🤓🤓🤓"

[@Eginhardt]

@@traindev1It isn’t just a standard everyday trespass crime it’s a serious federal crime to be on railroad property unlawfully. the FRA will be knocking

[@ConrailSD80MAC]

​@@traindev1You must be a foamer

[@MiClLC]

"Sir do you know it's illegal to cross the railroad tracks?" Yeah guy, it's also illegal to be in the country illegally. It's also illegal for politicians to be kid sniffers. The rule of law in this country is a joke my guy lol

[@OhioRiverSubdivision-hs5xr]

It is also illegal to steal classified documents, take bribes from “dancers”, plot to overthrow the government, and aid in the genocide of Kurds

[@buk6708]

Comment of the year.

[@buildintotrains]

how about they stop criminalizing mobility and build a safe pedestrian crossing at that obviously popular spot?

[@jimsmith9819]

how about just dont break the law?

[@buildintotrains]

@@jimsmith9819 this could be solved so easily with a legit crossing for this very obvious path of desire

[@neaksm9558]

​@@jimsmith9819How about they stop making getting around so inconvenient that you need to break to law to get where you're going?

[@jimsmith9819]

@@neaksm9558 how about we just do away with all laws and let everybody do as they please?

[@TheMrPeteChannel]

Because, railroads can afford miles of tracks but not fencing.

[@strasburgrailfan90]

They can afford police but not fencing

[@sroevukasroevuka]

People just cut holes in the fencing. If its posted no treaspassing fence or not its illegal.

[@buildintotrains]

how about a basic safe pedestrian crossing?

[@Fantazier1]

Some places actually do have fencing. The first terminal I ever worked at did have fencing, but some people managed to find there way around them. People still got killed and it was generally males who were drunk, because there were quite a few bars across the street. I remember one incident, where a train was switching in the yard, the train had stop for a little bit and this guy decided to climb over a knuckle. Well somehow his butt was in a gap within the knuckles and when the slack ran in, it pinched that portion of his butt off.

[@STho205]

​@@buildintotrains the town ought to build a few

[@mikeduke7613]

i would like to work at the tv station, just so i could say 69news

[@mikelowery5741]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@robertmoir5695]

I am aware that sort of thing can get you arrested or fined You should never get in the way when a train is coming The tracks may seem empty but when you re on or near the tracks a train ciuld sneak up on you You never know Don t ever take any chances

[@lakerskid2013]

Another thing to never do is attempt to take shortcuts while a train is stopped at a crossing because you never know when that train may move again. There was a time where I was walking home from Kroger and I saw the train stopping at the crossing that I had to cross over in order to get home. Now I remember seeing two guys ahead of me that were already at the crossing, one was standing and the other was sitting down. None of us three could see where the end of the train was and after 45 minutes, I saw both of these guys literally crawl down underneath the train just to cross over to get to where they were going. For me, I was not taking an unnecessary chance of possibly that train starting back up again although if I did anything I would’ve gone between the rail cars and over where they attach to each other for a safer route so in case it moved I would’ve had more time to react to it. Instead, I decided to find another route of walking which then I was in the middle of taking this alternate route thankfully a friend of mine spotted me and she took me home the rest of the way, she happened to be stuck behind the train too. I had this funny feeling that if I tried taking a shortcut then I would’ve had an example made out of me, even if it was as simple as getting the police called on me and dealing with that potential trouble, lord knows how that encounter would’ve gone because if I ran into the wrong ones I’d probably get hit with some trespassing fine somehow.

[@HeyMikeyLikesIt2]

People that do not have transportation cannot walk over a mile just to get to an approved cross walk….. why don’t you place MORE cross walks in areas that have 2 laid tracks, and have “Pedestrian Walker” warning lights, and horns. Too much money? Not everyone drives!

[@NSRAILFAN-qb1ej]

Let natural selection, sort things out

[@DaytonDistrictRailfan]

They didn't even realize that they caught an RS3L 🎺🎺🎺

[@iatif1995]

Lol I know right

[@AMT4245]

How to solve the problem: Make a walkway. Instead of harassing people who have to cross those tracks, give them a safer solution.

[@usefultuber1608]

People have a safer solution, walk across the train crossings.

[@daltondick5223]

There is no reason to. I wouldn’t waste money on morons.

[@kevtherev999]

The safer solution is already there. The pavement. Nobody needs to cross the tracks. If you built footbridges each time someone cant be arsed walking the proper way,you'd never end

[@veronicadaugherty3760]

Or, they could just, I don’t know, FOLLOW THE DARN LAW. Next you will be saying “Lets to move ownership instead of harassing thief

[@veronicadaugherty3760]

Remove*

[@Relaysandthings]

The money and taxes being wasted on police doing this garbage you could have built a bridge over tracks think smarter not harder

[@buk6708]

Bu but but but but.... they can just get in their tesla or BMW and drive right?

[@calbob750]

575 trespassers died on railroad property in 2017.

[@DARK_AMBIGUOUS]

And 48,000 people are shot by police per year in the US. More than 85% of them presumed innocent

[@buildintotrains]

most of these were likely suicides

[@highball_photography3912]

"Think before you cross the tracks" yes sir i do with a smart brain and scanner lol

[@trainenthusiastproductions5219]

This is an overlooked issue every day, according to most laws in the 50 U.S. states, it is considered Trespassing on Federal Land. It is good to see railroads stepping up to this problem.

[@BenjaminHartleyReturns]

Or maybe instead of harassing poor people you could help make cities walkable instead of segregated by road passages impassable by pedestrians.

[@markkilgore938]

@@BenjaminHartleyReturns These people are illegal trespassers. It's unfortunate that the warning signs are ignored.

[@DARK_AMBIGUOUS]

Okay then how are people supposed to cross the tracks then? Some people don't have cars. There are far to few walkable areas to cross the tracks at legally. The issue is that the train tracks are the problem. The train company should be charged for everyone who gets hit by a train. We don't want the train tracks cutting threw our neighborhoods and restricting how we get around. If you want people to stop crossing the tracks, go find poor people in real life crossing the train tracks and give them money to buy a car. The police are just trying to make peoples lives difficult. People walking on the tracks is not a problem. The problem is the police harassing people and the train tracks being there in the first place.

[@Real_Jtizzle]

@@DARK_AMBIGUOUSthe tracks were there long before your neighborhood. Quite being entitled. Don’t live by the tracks if you have a problem with it 🤷‍♂️

[@CentralValleyFireBuff]

@@DARK_AMBIGUOUS Crossing on a grade 😂 lmao

[@tfs4499]

It's all about attitude, and most people don't even care about their own safety!

[@kenvandevoort7820]

It looks like a bunch of adults need to be given Sly Fox and Birdie coloring books. We have smarter 2nd graders in our town.

[@ILSRWY4]

"69" News....Haha

[@anb7408]

Friend of mine ran over a teenager who was walking between the rails with ear buds blasting music. He never heard the horn blowing, and it left a gory mess after he got hit. Moral of the story: stay off the d*** tracks!

[@CameronBlair-s4s]

you should be at least 1 car length away from tracks for your own safety.your welcome.

[@Nx553]

Then put a foot bridge over the tracks. I’m with these people, if I have to walk a mile around your tracks or take 3 seconds and just cross over and get directly to where I’m going then well….

[@Dodener]

its called going around, building a walkway can cost millions, block the rail yard while its under construction, and allow morons to throw stuff ontop of the engines as they are passing. there is a reason you dont see those anymore. also not government property, so they cant do anything about it. be smart and walk around

[@ibrahimissiakou5094]

Never cross the train tracks!!

[@salvagemonster3612]

What if the tracks are abandoned? Or if you have to go to the bathroom or the hospital?

[@strasburgrailfan90]

Nah bro I’m crossing em

[@OhioRiverSubdivision-hs5xr]

@@salvagemonster3612 it is much better to need new pants than to need new organs - Abraham Lincoln, probably

[@reesetrels8925]

Why can cars cross tracks but pedestrians can’t? This is stupid

[@rotatorcuffs8140]

Put up fencing and/or build a pedestrian bridge.

[@kevtherev999]

Here in the UK, if you are seen evenjust on the railway property, you WILL be arrested. No question about it

[@TheMrPeteChannel]

Good!

[@THE_IRON_HORSE]

@@TheMrPeteChannel not good for railfaning :(

[@geonerd]

The UK is generally about a decade ahead of the US in the race to reach a totalitarian Nanny State. I see this absurd policy as a warning to others, not an example of what should be done.

[@OhioRiverSubdivision-hs5xr]

@@THE_IRON_HORSEnot all of us are foamers who tresspass

[@THE_IRON_HORSE]

@@OhioRiverSubdivision-hs5xr yeah I know

[@iatif1995]

How about build a pedestrian crossing at the places where most people cross??

[@jcraigshelton]

Are you paying for it? That’s why I thought.

[@jcraigshelton]

Get the Border Patrol out there and let them do enforcement.

[@zeppinator7725]

In my town lots of people walk the train tracks and that’s bc trains rarely pass by only once every two weeks

[@darkfoxly7227]

You never knew. I was wrong about my town. I thought train pass once a day. Ended up, I found out there are more than 15 trains pass a day.

[@kevtherev999]

@@darkfoxly7227 yep, you get alot of freight trains n stuff like that you wont find on any timetable, as well as some government or military trains that come along randomly

[@darkfoxly7227]

@@kevtherev999 Yeah, I did do my math. Depend on what day, but my town is busy as heck. One day, I counted 12 trains activated in less than 4 hours. That made me realize why it is illegal to go on the rails. Also, I already looked up, found out we had more than 800 deaths on the rails in the United States last year. That explains a lot.

[@veronicadaugherty3760]

Thats what they think, then when they die they realize that was not the case

[@DARK_AMBIGUOUS]

I live right by the train tracks and there is literaly no way to get to the other side without walking across them, there is a bridge about 4 miles up the tracks and another bridge 7 miles down the tracks and both don't have sidewalks so I would have to walk like 11 miles up and use the sidewalk and then come 11 miles back. Not everyone has a car and there are some places where there are no sidewalks that go across the train tracks for 100+ miles. In my case, I would have to walk about 25 miles to get to my moms house that is less than a miles from me across the train tracks. And then 25 miles to get home. This is just the police trying to make peoples lives more difficult, why do the police do this kind of stuff? I mean if the police department's officers want to use their paychecks to build pedestrian bridges every 2 miles across the tracks, they can go right ahead. If not, then the train track company has to move their tracks away from my house and find a new spot where every single person who lives within 20 miles of the train tracks agrees to have them built, the train track company is restricting my ability to get to where I need to go and putting my life in danger. Also what is the difference between walking across the tracks illegally, and walking across the tracks at a legal crossing? or better yet, driving across the tracks at a train track crossing. What's stopping a police officer from smashing threw the crossing gates? Why are the police even concerned about people crossing the tracks? if the police care so much about peoples lives, then they should stop murdering people with their guns. Or how about the police buy me a car so I can drive on the road instead of waking across the tracks.

[@Clyde_Dev]

Actually in the UK you will be arrested and charged with a £1000 fine for it

[@jcraigshelton]

No you wouldn’t.

[@geoffreylee5199]

Putting a fence in areas where folks cross tracks can help dissuade movement.

[@trainenthusiastproductions5219]

Unfortunately, that's not an option because most Hi-Rail Pick-ups, and Hi-Rail Rigs get on the tracks and then back onto the level grade to lower the wheels. But it would help with the trespassing.

[@byronchavarria4954]

The LIRR Did That Already

[@Relaysandthings]

Instead of wasting money on that build a dam wall bridge over it seriously

[@buildintotrains]

or help connect the community in a more productive safe way with a special pedestrian bridge or crossing??

[@salvagemonster3612]

Yeah and so can anything else. Plus the other 4000 charges that cops make up to arrest people

[@jcraigshelton]

Tell us about your felony.

[@ericblair7357]

You not allowed on this side.

[@salvagemonster3612]

26 out of a population of what 16 million. Actually the citizens have a better chance of being struck by lighting in Pennsylvania than being hit by a train

[@veniciocaldas1514]

the crews should decide to collect hard hats place the posters fix the track markers and add the no trespassing signs like what i do on train sim world 2 when i am on Sand patch grade and koln and london underground bakerloo line and east coastway and put any route tasks when we find their locations at the CSX RAIL TRANSPORTATION RAILWAY RAILROAD and DEUTSCHE BUNDERSBAN BRITISH RAILWAYS and london underground subway rail and ICELAND RAILWAYS

[@georgew.5639]

This is how utterly stupid people are today. They ought to be jailed for a week minimum and heavily fined.

[@geonerd]

Careful, Tough Guy. A society like that will eventually come for YOU.

[@DistanceNsVeterans]

​​@@geonerd Oh well that how society is nowadays, Just pathetic and down right stupid (half of them) becaus either they have been introduced, Raised wrong, or Etc...

[@jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821]

u should be in jail

[@scottcarroll550]

Barney Fife.

[@anthonyholmes195]

Use public crossings

[@geonerd]

The one 3/4 mile down the tracks? You can't expect people to do that.

[@unitedfireybride]

Just as dangerous.

[@ConrailSD80MAC]

​@@unitedfireybrideThey are MUCH safer

[@mikejohns777]

Does that cop know fluent Spanish? A ticket to an illegal immigrant or black resident is absolutely going to go unpaid. You can write out a million warnings and tickets and it won't resolve the problem.

[@kevtherev999]

Here in UK,you just get arrested. No questions and probably jail.whatever colour you are

[@billjoang]

That’s job security. Why would cop care if ticket gets paid

[@jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821]

@@billjoang bc then they wouldnt get those kickbacks

[@michaelseibert4637]

I say it’s ok to treapass on they’re rale road since it’s America land of free and brave and kneel for cross stand for anthem

[@penginator89]

its a fetus@MicahsOddThings