Speed and Safety for Trains in Lubbock
By: Meredith Hillgartner
Updated: November 16, 2012
While investigators are looking into what caused Thursdays accident in Midland, local train operators are turning their focus to safety.
"It is a shame that sometimes it takes a tragedy to have folks to emphasize, or re-think, or focus on the safety ," said Walt Stokes, manager for Plainsmen Switching Company.
The speed limit on the track where the accident occurred was raised from 40 miles per hour to 60 miles per hour in the last few years.
Speeds here in Lubbock are about 20 miles per hour.
"It just depends on the territory and where it's at," Stokes said. "There are different speed limits on all the tracks, different places, and it's all dependent on where it's at, and track conditions, different things like that."
Stokes said railway speeds are federally mandated by the Federal Railroad Administration.
He said the F.R.A. sets speeds depending on track quality not surroundings.
"You have class one, two, three, four, five tracks," Stokes said. "Five being the very best. Track one not being so good. All of those have different ratings on there, so that is mandated by the federal government."
Stokes said to remember trains are large, heavy and fast machines.
"It is not easy for a train to stop," Stokes said. "A train that's traveling 50 miles per hour can take a mile, to a mile and a half to stop, with the breaks fully applied."
Stokes said the best way to stay safe is to always be aware.
"You never know when a train is going to come through," Stokes said. "Anytime is train time. We train our employees to expect movement on any track at anytime, in either direction, even though you may look around and think the track is clear."
