New SunRail safety push aims to keep tracks clear
Concerned about a wreck this month that sent seven passengers to the hospital with minor injuries, SunRail officials are putting together a new safety campaign to persuade motorists to stay away from the commuter-train tracks.
SunRail spokesman Steve Olson said Tuesday that the state — which owns and operates SunRail — is about to use seven billboards in the area to tell drivers to stay away from the tracks.
State officials also intend to bring back Florida Highway Patrol troopers and station them near some of the 93 atgrade intersections that the 36 SunRail trains cross each weekday. The troopers will look for motorists who race around crossing arms or stop too close to, or actually on, the tracks.
The previous FHP push, which ended in May, resulted in 529 warnings and 431 tickets, Olson said.
SunRail also hopes to stuff safety fliers in utility bills and push the message about avoiding trains at schools, athletic fields and community events.
The state may experiment as well with painting new white stripes near intersections to show motorists where to stop.
“This is not going to be one size fits all,” SunRail project director Tawny Olore said of the plan.
But they made no promises that drivers will get the message.
“It is a learning curve, and it may take quite some time,” said Mark Calvert, a SunRail marketing consultant.
Calvert was speaking with an eight-member panel of SunRail riders who meet quarterly to discuss the 31.5-mile system.
No riders said they are worried about the $1.2 billion operation being unsafe, but they listened intently as Olore said managers intended to get the message out that the train cannot stop quickly or change directions to avoid a car on the tracks.
SunRail has been involved, on average, with one accident every six weeks. That includes Oct. 8, when a southbound train sideswiped a dump truck too close to the track in Winter Park. Seven riders and the truck driver went to the hospital with a variety of minor issues.
All of the mishaps that have occurred since SunRail began operating a year ago May 1 have been the fault of motorists, law-enforcement officials say.
Winter Park, Sanford and Longwood have recorded the most mishaps, SunRail statistics show. Including accidents with CSX freight trains and Amtrak passenger trains, each community has recorded 11 accidents since May 2014.
SunRail runs from DeBary in Volusia County through Seminole County and downtown Winter Park and Orlando to south Orange County.
In another development Tuesday, Olore said the latenight train likely would be discontinued Dec. 21, which is the one-year anniversary of the run. Initially popular, ridership has fallen from an average of nearly 120 people per train to fewer than 50.
Olore said that service likely would re-slotted to 1 p.m. to help midafternoon riders.
SunRail operates at 30-minute intervals during the morning and evening rush hours but goes as long as 21⁄2 hours between runs during the afternoon.