RCMP Manitoba says 5 dead in 2 months, highlighting train safety

RCMP Manitoba says a "split-second decision" can have tragic consequences.

From August to September, RCMP Manitoba says five people have died in train collisions, including one earlier in September that killed three people. RCMP says that train crossing are unavoidable in rural Manitoba, but residents need to be aware of incoming trains.

“When it comes to a train versus a car, the train will win every time,” Staff Sergeant Kyle McFadyen of Manitoba RCMP Traffic Services says. “Anyone approaching train tracks needs to pay extra attention to whether or not a train is approaching. Those few seconds could save your life.”

RCMP Manitoba says that from September 21-27 they hoping to bring awareness to this issue as it is Rail Safety Week. To do this, they are taking part in Operation Clear Track.

Operation Clear Track's aim is to reduce the number of railway incidents in Canada and the United States. Partnering with Amtrak, Operation Lifesaver Inc., and Operation Lifesaver Canada, who says a motorist is 40 times more likely to die in a train-vehicle crash than a crash with another vehicle.

"It takes the average freight train travelling at 90 kilometres per hour the length of 18 football fields to stop, so the train is unable to stop in time to avoid a collision," RCMP says in a statement. "Crossing the tracks when there is an oncoming train is a deadly mistake."

RCMP Manitoba says that is a train is coming, a vehicle needs to stop at least four and a half metres away from the train tracks and wait until the train has completely cleared before crossing.