Warning features not expected to be added at site of fatal crash
Posted on Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Investigators from the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad and the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department are examining the scene of a fatal collision between a train and car Saturday morning, but there are no immediate plans to get flashing lights and hinged roadblocking arms placed where the tracks intersect Wilson Street just west of U. S. 71-B in Greenland.
Glen Bolick, a spokesman for the transportation department, said that out of the 2, 700 railroad / street crossings in the state, 70 percent do not have flashing lights and hinged road-blocking arms, otherwise known as active warnings.
“ In an ideal world 100 percent of (those intersections ) would have an active warning, ” Bolick said.
He said several aspects of an intersection are examined before a decision is made to install the warnings. Accident history is looked at to see if there have been several incidents. Site distance is examined to make sure no vegetation or new construction has blocked the visibility of the track. The number of railroad crossings on the road also is checked.
Bolick said roads with railroad crossings within one-quarter or a half-mile from each other might have a higher chance of getting active warning systems. The number of trains that use the track daily and the speed of those trains, as well as the amount of traffic that crosses those tracks, are also considered, as well as what type of vehicles cross the tracks regularly. Intersections often traversed by school buses, hazardous material transports or ambulances often receive higher priority.
The transportation department receives about $ 1. 2 million a year to install active warnings, Bolick said. With the average cost of installing lights and arms being around $ 150, 000, the department can only address 10-12 intersections a year, he said.
State Rep. Marilyn Edwards, D-Fayetteville, said she had not heard any talk of increasing those funds.
Peter Knudson, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, said the board only investigates about 10-12 accidents a year and those accidents must present unique safety issues the board can address. He said the Greenland incident probably would not be examined.
Ron Sparks, the police chief for the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad, said the track running through Greenland only sees two trains a day for most of the year, and during the season it runs passenger cars it sees two more a day.
“ Unlike our tracks in Little Rock or Pine Bluff that see 40 trains a day, ” he said.
Sparks said the corporation empathizes with the victim’s family, but there was really nothing the company could do to prevent the accident. The speed limit for trains in that area is 45 mph, he said, and though the exact speed of the train involved is not known, it was traveling slower than the limit. When a brake is applied on a train it can take up to one-quarter of a mile to reach a complete stop, he said. He added that state law requires conductors to blow the train’s whistle several times about 15-20 seconds before an intersection, something witnesses said the train was doing prior to the accident Saturday morning.
“ That’s why the train has the right of way, ” Sparks said. “ Folks need to be on the lookout for trains at all times. ”
To help prevent tragedies like the Greenland accident, Sparks said, the railroad offers a free safety class to the public. Groups can call him at 751-8600, ext. 124, and schedule a presentation. Sparks said it shows the dangers and facts of railroad crossings and train tracks and covers precautions people can take.
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