More Than 30 Ticketed for Stopping Too Close to Railroad Tracks

More than 30 people received tickets last week for stopping within a railroad grade crossing in a special crackdown conducted by the and the Canadian National Railway police.

that police would be watching the crossing at Route 126, east of Route 59, three dozen drivers were given citations or warnings for being over the white lines that denote where vehicles should stop or stopping on the tracks themselves, according to a news release issued by Plainfield traffic Sgt. Eric Munson.

In addition to the grade crossing tickets, three people were cited for not having insurance, two for not wearing a seat belt and one each for trespass to railroad property, no driver's license and no driver's license on person, the news release said.

Eleven juveniles were issued warnings for trespassing railroad property.

Munson told WBBM-TV (Channel 2) that the crackdown, which will be done again the week of March 21, was meant to draw attention to the crossing laws as Canadian National gets ready to start increasing the number of trains going through Plainfield from 20 to more than 40 over the next year.

He said one driver was ticketed for stopping on the tracks while doing something with his cell phone, according to the report. Because traffic can get heavy on Route 126 at certain times during the day, it's important that drivers be aware and not get caught on the tracks, he told the TV station.

In his release, Munson said that rail cars can exceed the width of the track by anywhere from three to five feet, which is why the white stop lines and the crossing gates are so far from the tracks.

“That train’s going to hit you if you’re close enough,” Munson told WBBM. “When a train hits you, that’s a significant amount of crash force. That train is always going to win.”