Rail Safety Week From September 23-29, 2024
The North West Region of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is proud to be joining forces with agencies across Canada and North America today for Operation Clear Track – the continent’s single largest rail-safety law-enforcement initiative.
Coordinated by Amtrak, Operation Lifesaver Inc., and Operation Lifesaver Canada, Operation Clear Track aims to reduce railway crossing and trespassing incidents in Canada and the U.S. – incidents which seriously injure or kill more than 2,100 people each year. The event is held annually during Rail Safety Week from September 23 to 29, 2024.
The OPP is participating in Operation Clear Track this year to promote rail safety by having conversations and sharing tips with drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. These tips include:
- Stay at a safe distance from trains and off railway property and tracks
- Don’t use train tracks as a shortcut
- Always obey railway signs and signals
“Ignoring railway signs and signals, being distracted at rail stations or crossings, or using tracks as a shortcut or a recreational path can lead to track tragedies that are entirely preventable,” said Chris Day, Interim National Director, Operation Lifesaver Canada. “Operation Clear Track’s goal is to encourage people to avoid risky behaviours around tracks and trains, so they stay safe and stay alive.”
More than 600 detachments across Canada are participating in Operation Clear Track this year. Each will promote rail safety by having conversations and sharing tips with drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. They will share rail-safety resources and content, and – as ever – they will enforce rail crossing and trespassing laws.
Day adds: “Track tragedies affect not only the individual, but their loved ones and entire communities. Railroaders and first responders, too. Rail safety is a shared responsibility. We all have a role to play.”
For more information about Operation Clear Track, Rail Safety Week and other rail-safety initiatives and tips, please visit: www.operationlifesaver.ca.
About Operation Lifesaver Canada:
Operation Lifesaver (OL) Canada is a national not-for-profit that works to prevent collisions at rail crossings and trespassing on railway property. OL is funded by Transport Canada and the Railway Association of Canada and its members, including CN, CPKC, VIA Rail, exo, West Coast Express, Metrolinx, and Genesee & Wyoming, among others. Through partnerships with safety organizations, law enforcement agencies, the trucking industry, and communities, OL works to prevent injuries and save lives by educating Canadians about the hazards associated with tracks and trains.
