The Wilson Post
LEBANON WEATHER

Train officials warn against walking on tracks




The WeGo Star approaches the South Maple Street crossing in Lebanon at the start of a recent afternoon run to Nashville. Officials with the WeGo Star commuter train system are warning county residents about the dangers of walking or playing on the railroad tracks. DALLUS WHITFIELD 

The WeGo Star approaches the South Maple Street crossing in Lebanon at the start of a recent afternoon run to Nashville. Officials with the WeGo Star commuter train system are warning county residents about the dangers of walking or playing on the railroad tracks. DALLUS WHITFIELD 

Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) officials reached out to emergency services agencies in Wilson County to help to spread the word to residents that they cannot walk, play, take selfies, ride recreational off-highway vehicles on or near the railroad tracks.

The WeGo Star (formerly Music City Star) commuter train route runs through Wilson County with the Mt. Juliet station the busiest. The tracks also serve freight transportation.

“After several ‘close call’ events involving pedestrians walking and riding bicycles along Wilson County railroad tracks, railroad officials have asked us to spread the message: Stay off the Tracks!” Wilson Emergency Management Agency officials said in a message to local safety agencies. “It’s dangerous and will result in death if a pedestrian is struck by a train.  In some areas, the train is traveling at 60 MPH.  The train will overtake you before you have time to react.” 

Walking on the tracks is illegal.

“All railroad tracks in Tennessee and across the United States are technically private property owned by each railroad company, and so any unauthorized activity on the tracks (such as photography, playing, walking, etc.) is trespassing,” said WeGo Public Transit Information Officer Amanda Clelland.

According to 2010 Tennessee Code, “Aggravated criminal trespass on railroad property is a Class A misdemeanor.” 

Mt. Juliet Police Cpt. Tyler Chandler said WeGo officials recently called him to say a conductor reported two incidents of people on the tracks in Mt. Juliet.

“One was an adult alone walking on the tracks and the other was an adult and two children,” Chandler said.

According to Chandler, these sightings were on the stretch of track between Mt. Juliet Road and South Greenhill Road along Division Street. With the incident involving the two children, the conductor “hit the horn,” according to Chandler. 

No one was hurt.

“The Mt Juliet issues were on May 4 and May 7 at approximately 4 p.m. each of those days,” Clelland said. “In both cases, the engineer thankfully did not have to put the train into emergency brake mode, but did have to sound the train horn in the quiet zone to get the trespassers to get off the tracks. That’s a best-case scenario situation, given the dangers that come with being on train tracks.”

The two incidences in Mt. Juliet were on the tracks that run parallel to the new Town Center Greenway that is scheduled to be completed the end of next month. 

Chandler said he expects a barrier of some kind will be built between the tracks and the greenway. He said MJPD officers will closely monitor the tracks, but have not seen any offenders. 

According to the Federal Railroad Administration, “Trespassing along railroad rights-of-way is the leading cause of rail-related deaths in America. Nationally, more than 400 trespass fatalities and nearly as many injuries occur each year, the vast majority of which are preventable.”

FRA statistics show a train traveling at 55 MPH can take more than a mile to stop. WEMA officials said the WeGo Star train can top 60 MPH speeds at some parts of the tracks. And, despite their size, trains are relatively quiet and do not always sound warning horns when approaching a crossing. 

“But the bottom line is, you aren’t supposed to be on train tracks unless you are on the train,” said Clelland. 

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