walking on train tracks: here's why it's dangerous (and illegal)
2 minute read
people walk along a set of train tracks on the waterfront in dartmouth last month. doing so is considered trespassing, but there are also a number of reasons the act is dangerous and can be deadly
tim krochak
/
the chronicle herald
on the night of june 18, two women were walking along the railway tracks behind the sobeys store on the bedford highway when they saw an approaching train.
the women tried to move off the tracks, but one of them was struck by the train as it passed by.
paramedics, firefighters and police rushed to the scene, and the woman was taken to hospital. police said the 24-year-old suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
the woman was lucky. more than 50 people per year have been killed while walking along rail lines in canada since 2022.
those who walk through railyards or along the tracks are considered trespassers: it’s illegal, cn rail says. but, more importantly, people can be seriously hurt. from 2015 to 2025, 570 people died and 275 were seriously injured while doing so.
so what are some the things cn says people should remember?
speed misperception
trains are big. because of their size, they can appear to be much farther away and travelling much slower than their actual speed.
trains can’t stop quickly
because of that size, the average train needs at least two kilometres to stop. they don’t brake like a motor vehicle. an average freight train weighs over 5,500 tonnes. compare that to a car, which weighs about one and a half tonnes.
stopped rail cars don’t always stay stopped
cn says railway cars can move at any time. if you’re on one or near one when it moves, you could be seriously hurt. trains can be pulling more than 100 cars at a time, and you may not hear an engine start up before it begins pulling.
tunnels and bridges aren’t designed for people
train tunnels, bridges and trestles are designed only for trains. they’re not designed to accommodate pedestrians, as well. trespassers can be seriously injured or killed.
trains and their cargo are wider than the rails
while it might seem like you can just hop off the tracks if a train is coming, the width of them is much different that the train. the track are just under 1.5 metres wide, but railcars are a little more than twice that. however, they can carry loads wider than the cars themselves and have chains, straps or other equipment that extend beyond the car.
advertisement
any time is train time
don’t think you know when the trains pass based on the past. trains don’t always run on schedule. they can go at any time on any track and come from either direction.
the impacts on you and others
in its 2017 report preventing rail-related injuries and deaths in canada, the organization operation lifesaver said the impacts of rail-related incidents “cannot be understated.”
it said survivors are often left with debilitating injuries such as lost limbs, severe burns or paralysis. for locomotive engineers who are unable to stop the train in time and emergency responders, the chance of damage to their mental health is significant.
share story
