TriMet conducts WES safety campaign

TriMet is partnering with Portland and Western Railroad to kick off a summer safety campaign along its WES Commuter Rail line. The service runs during weekday rush hour between Beaverton and Wilsonville, Ore., on heavy rail tracks, which is an illegal and dangerous place for people to walk, ride bikes or play. The campaign includes enforcement and awareness missions where TriMet Transit Police Division officers will be patrolling the areas around the alignment during WES commute hours the weeks of June 20 and June 27. Transit Police officers are targeting locations in Tualatin where youth have been gathering in wooded areas near the tracks and in Beaverton where riders have illegally crossed the tracks instead of using a nearby crosswalk. Since trespassing on railroad tracks is illegal, officers will be looking for trespassers and will issue citations for violations of this and common traffic-related offenses. Since last year's safety effort, TriMet has installed fencing and gate arms at pedestrian crossings to curb traffic-related violations. This year's focus will be on youth and adults on foot. The safety campaign also includes TriMet safety ads running in local theaters all summer to reach people along the WES alignment and fliers with safety information included in back to school mailings. Last year in the United States, 445 people were killed in railroad trespassing incidents and 390 more were injured.