HOUSTON — Union Pacific will adjust its operations to avoid running trains during the primary arrival and departure times for students at a Houston high school, the railroad said today (Tuesday, Dec. 17).
The move on a UP line adjacent to Houston’s Milby High School comes after a 15-year-old student was killed while crossing the tracks on the way to school last week [see “Houston mayor wants Union Pacific to help pay …,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 12, 2024]. The resulting outcry has seen Houston Mayor John Whitmore call for UP to help pay for a $6.5 million pedestrian overpass, as well as a petition drive to replace the school’s principal over criticism she failed to provide emotional support for grieving classmates.
KHOU-TV reports that the decision came after a meeting between Whitmore and railroad representatives. The station reports UP said in a statement that it “agreed to immediately adjust our operations to avoid running trains near Milby High School for one hour during school drop-off and pick-up times and extending the sidewalks to enhance the crossing, while we collaborate on long-term solutions and additional rail safety outreach efforts.”
The funeral for 15-year-old Sergio Rodriguez was held Monday, Dec. 16. His family is suing Union Pacific and the unnamed individual who was operating the train, citing negligence in not fencing off the rail right-of-way, among other issues.
In all due sympathy to the family of Sergio Rodriguez, the boy made a choice to attempt beating a train across the track.
In all likelihood, Union Pacific’s predecessor had its line there before the neighbourhood developed around it based on contemporary structures of recent decades. Yet, city and state officials insist on Union Pacific paying the expenses for added safety.
Since this involves a tragic, sad situation, I wonder if this is a repeat of an incident locally. And ONLY for what happened there do I repeat the account.
As one should always remember, where there are tracks, think trains.
Not being there at the time of this tragedy, I can only assume the usual. FRA rules, horn signals, ( I hope to God Almighty, this was not a “Quiet Zone” ) or there are ways to signal an approaching train w/o horn of locomotive. Since the school is close, some crossings have audible sounds AT THE crossing to warn.
This is “with regret, hard to say” but locally a grade crossing death occured and the RR to show concern (through no fault of the RR) offered the family money. NO AMOUNT of money can replace a life. The money was refused as the family saw a rich RR at fault. They sued. Of course they lost and got nothing.
Life has many bad situations for us to endure. endmrw1217242035
Teach kids to expect a train at any time on any track in either direction, scheduled or otherwise.
Fenced or not.
Near a school or not.
Shame on UPRR for giving in.