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SAFETY FENCE INSTALLED NEAR FAIRGROUNDS

September 21, 2007

RALEIGH, NC – As thousands of people prepare to descend on the NC State Fair next month, the North Carolina Railroad Company (NCRR) has one goal in mind: the safety of those attending the fair. NCRR and Norfolk Southern Railway are installing a safety fence to guide fairgoers away from trains and direct them to crossing points. It can take a mile for an engineer to stop a train.

According to the Federal Railroad Administration, last year in North Carolina there were 35 trespassing incidents—when people enter the rail corridor without authorization—and 20 of those resulted in fatalities. There were also 75 grade crossing accidents, 8 of them resulting in fatalities.

“In the past years, we have seen people crossing the tracks pushing baby carriages, and carrying small children,” says Kat Christian, NCRR Public Affairs Director. “Previously a train had to stop on the tracks near the fair and people were actually climbing through the railcar couplers. If that train had started moving they could have gotten trapped or hurt.”

The fence will start at Powell Road and extend parallel to Beryl Road. It will end approximately one thousand feet on the east side of Blue Ridge Road. Fair patrons will be able to cross Hillsborough Street to the fairgrounds at both the Blue Ridge and Powell Road intersections.

The North Carolina Railroad Company owns and manages the 317-mile rail corridor extending from Morehead City to Charlotte. The railroad carries 60-plus freight trains and eight passenger trains daily. It manages, improves and protects its properties and corridor to enhance freight and passenger service and promote economic development. NCRR is the state’s oldest corporation but remains at the forefront of rail improvements and partnership development to promote jobs and rail-served industry across the state.