The Edmond Sun

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February 8, 2012

Train brakes to avoid pedestrian in Edmond

Mark Schlachtenhaufen The Edmond Sun

EDMOND — A locomotive engineer had to use his emergency brake due to a man who was walking on Edmond-area train tracks, a railroad spokesman said.

BNSF Railway, a subsidiary of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation, manages 32,000 miles of right-of-way in 28 states and two Canadian provinces, according to the company’s website. The company owns the rail line that runs from Fort Worth to Oklahoma City to Edmond to Kansas.

During an average day dozens of trains pass through Edmond. At about 11:50 a.m. Tuesday, a freight train was just outside city limits, at mile marker 71, when a locomotive engineer spotted a pedestrian trespassing, walking on the track, said Joe Faust, a regional spokesman for BNSF Railway, Faust said.

The engineer, who has discretion to use his horn as a warning, made a stop with emergency brakes, Faust said. In that area, the posted speed limit is 55 mph. At that speed, depending on the weight of a train and if it traveling on level ground or not, it can take about a mile to stop, Faust said.

Railway police and Edmond police were notified about the incident, Faust said. Fortunately, the pedestrian was not harmed, he said. Railway police could not locate the pedestrian. The train was momentarily delayed.

Glynda Chu, spokeswoman for the Edmond Police Department, said no police report was made. An Edmond officer spoke to the pedestrian and advised him to stay away from the tracks, Chu said.

Faust said the BNSF Railway is vigilant about warning the public not to trespass on railway property for their own safety. It is unlawful for anyone to enter or remain on railroad property without the consent of the owner, according to Citizens for Rail Security, a BNSF Railway-sponsored program. Any person who crosses the tracks while the gates are down or even walks between the tracks is trespassing, the company said.

In 2006, a 32-year-old man was struck by a train and killed near downtown Edmond.



marks@edmondsun.com | 341-2121, ext. 108

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