Alarmed by a record 17 accidents involving METRORail trains, pedestrian and automobile drivers in one month, officials have reemphasized a safety campaign to help prevent future incidents.
The agency’s “See Tracks? Think Train!” initiative includes a rail safety video from the U.S. Department of Transportation illustrating risky actions some pedestrians and drivers take along the rails that could result in injury or death.
After launching two new METRORail lines — the Southeast (Purple) Line and East End (Green) Line — in late May, METRO experienced a sharp spike in crashes involving their trains in June, with more than double the number of crashes in any other month in the past two years.
Metro recorded a total of 17 accidents in June — only the third time the number of accidents exceeded 9 in a month since the rail’s opening in 2004 — including crashes with 13 vehicles, three pedestrians and one bicyclist, according to a report from the Houston Chronicle. A June 9 accident near NRG Park left one pedestrian dead after he reportedly walked in front of the train.
Nine of the accidents were on the Red Line — formerly the Main Street Line, which has been operational since 2004 — while the other eight happened on the new lines.
Nine of the accidents were on the Red Line — formerly the Main Street Line, which has been operational since 2004 — while the other eight happened on the new lines. Of these eight accidents, seven of them occurred in downtown and only one took place further down the East End Line at Harrisburg and Adams Street.