AASHTO Journal - FRA Awards Railroad Trespassing Enforcement Grants

The Federal Railroad Administration issued more than $500,000 in Railroad Trespassing Enforcement Grants on July 7 to support 11 life-saving “trespass abatement” projects in six states: California, Florida, Massachusetts, Montana, North Carolina and New Jersey.

[Above photo by the NTSB.]

“This money will help local law enforcement agencies deter people from taking unnecessary risks around railroad tracks, while continuing the focus on those specific populations that are known to subject themselves to such risks around railroad tracks,” explained Ronald Batory, FRA’s administrator, in a statement.

In awarding this grant money, FRA said it focused the funds on trespass “hot spots” — geographic areas where law enforcement agencies have witnessed high instances of railroad track trespass behavior. Between 2014 and 2018, the agency said its research confirmed 4,721 trespass incidents resulting in 2,412 deaths in the United States.

FRA added that this grant program also adheres to the priorities outlined in the agency’s National Strategy to Prevent Trespassing on Railroad Property, issued in 2018.