With construction on the interstates, proposed rail service from New Haven to Springfield, Mass., and Tweed New Haven Regional Airport searching for ways to stay in business, Connecticut has become a hub of transportation transformation. Follow continuing coverage here from the New Haven Register.
Thursday, September 17, 2020
CTDOT eAlert: News from the Connecticut Department of Transportation
"Operation Lifesaver" – the Connecticut Department of Transportation's rail safety, awareness, outreach and education unit dedicated specifically to safety at street-level railroad crossings – today announced that National Rail Safety Week is September 21-27, 2020.
About every 3 hours a person or a vehicle is struck by a train in the United States. In 2019, there were about 2,800 such incidents around the country resulting in 1,108 fatalities. In Connecticut in 2019, there were two train vs. vehicle incidents, resulting in two injuries; and seven train vs. pedestrian incidents, resulting in four fatalities and three injuries. So far in 2020, there has been one train vs. vehicle incident with no injuries; and four train vs. pedestrian incidents resulting in four fatalities.
"We focus on railroad crossing safety during Rail Safety Week each year, but this is a major concern year-round," said CTDOT Commissioner Joseph J. Giulietti. "We are proud of the partnerships we have built with police departments, state and local government agencies and especially with local school districts where we have brought our message of rail safety awareness to thousands of Connecticut school children."
Operation Lifesaver outreach programs reached 50,000 Connecticut citizens in 2019 and about 15,000 so far in 2020. Those efforts have been hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic this year, but they will continue.
Connecticut's Operation Lifesaver program has been in place since 1996 – making 2020 the program's 25th year.
There are 615 at-grade (street level) rail crossings in Connecticut. There are approximately 233,000 miles of rail in the U.S. In Connecticut, there are more than 700 miles of track, with approximately 225 miles of passenger rail and 475 of freight rail.
For more information on Operation Lifesaver, which is also supported by the Federal Railroad Administration, visit www.oli.org.
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