A railroad safety study in North Carolina has used thermal cameras to better understand trespassing on train tracks – the leading cause of rail-related deaths in the US state.
The four-year study was conducted by researchers at the Institute of Transportation Research and Education (ITRE) and funded by the North Carolina Department of Transportation's (NCDoT) rail division and research and development (R&D) unit.
The NCDoT says 22 people were killed while trespassing railroad tracks in 2019 and the number of trespasser fatalities has remained steady from year to year.
State transportation secretary Eric Boyette, says: “Far too many people get killed or seriously injured every year in North Carolina because of trespassing and got struck by a train. This study is another tool to assist our education and outreach efforts, preventing people from trespassing on train tracks in the future.”
The rail division used data they collected to complete models of where trespassing is likely to occur in the future, the department adds.
Thermal video camera systems with motion sensors were installed at known trespassing paths in Charlotte, Durham, Elon, Gastonia, Greensboro, Lumberton, Mebane, Raleigh, Rocky Mount, Salisbury and Shelby.
According to the NCDoT, the information gathered was used to develop profiles of trespassing activity by season, month, day of the week, and hour of day for each hot spot location that can inform local-level trespass mitigation strategies.
Looking ahead, the R&D unit will design an education presentation with case summary and trespass predictive models delivered through outreach and training activities, provided by the rail division and ITRE.
The data will further the rail division’s efforts in supporting enforcement and providing engineering solutions that will help improve safety along the state’s rail corridors.
