Operation Lifesaver participates in National Train Day celebrations across the U.S.

(UPDATED) WASHINGTON, DC, May 4, 2011 – Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI, www.oli.org) the national nonprofit rail safety education organization, will celebrate National Train Day on Saturday, May 7 with activities in 20 states and the District of Columbia.

“Amtrak marks 40 years of operation this year, and Operation Lifesaver’s 40th anniversary will follow next year,” said OLI President Helen M. Sramek. “So on National Train Day, as we do every day, Operation Lifesaver reminds the public to ‘Look, Listen, and Live’ around tracks and trains.”

Operation Lifesaver will participate in Amtrak’s major National Train Day events in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C. and at smaller events in locations across the country, including the following:

• Alaska Operation Lifesaver will be staffing a booth at the Alaska Railroad Depot in Anchorage in conjunction with the railroad’s open house.
• California Operation Lifesaver will have volunteers and displays at six different Amtrak stations throughout the state, including Los Angeles, Bakersfield, Sacramento, Oceanside, Martinez and Fresno. 
• In other Western states, OL will participate at Amtrak Stations in Albuquerque, New Mexico; La Junta, Colorado; Reno, Nevada; and Ogden, Utah.
• Louisiana OL will have a Safety Town layout at the New Orleans Amtrak station to teach children crossing/walking safety around tracks and trains; OL volunteers will also be at Louisiana State Police Public Safety Expo in Alexandria, LA and at the Kiwanis Kid’s Health and Safety Fair in Baton Rouge.
• In Kansas, Operation Lifesaver will be on hand in Topeka at the Amtrak station and at the Emergency Services Showcase with a crashed car on a trailer; they will also be at the Douglas County Fair Grounds in Lawrence.
• Wisconsin OL is staffing a safety booth at the Amtrak Depot in Milwaukee.
• Ohio OL will participate at Toledo’s Amtrak Station.
• In Chicago, Illinois OL will be part of festivities at Union Station.
• In Tennessee, OL volunteers will be a part of celebrations at Twin City, Chattanooga and Jackson, as well as appearing at the Central Railroad in Nashville with the TNOL caboose.  TNOL will also run safety public service announcements on the big screen at the Jackson Generals minor league baseball game.
• In Georgia, OL will be part of celebrations in Toccoa and Dalton’s historic train stations.
• South Carolina OL will have a display at the Columbia Amtrak station.
• In Florida, OL will be participating at the Amtrak station in Tampa.
• Virginia OL will participate at the Washington, DC Union Station events.
• New England’s activities include Maine, where Operation Lifesaver will have small ‘speeder’ train cars at the Bath station and other activities for children in Bangor; Massachusetts, at Amtrak's Boston South Station and the train station in West Barnstable; in Vermont, Operation Lifesaver will be participating in events at Amtrak’s White River Junction station.
• In New York State, OL will be at the Rensselaer/Albany Amtrak station.

Vehicle-train collisions have dropped by approximately 80 percent nationwide since Operation Lifesaver began in 1972, due to a an ongoing safety partnership among federal, state and local governments, law enforcement agencies, traffic safety organizations, railroad companies and OL.

“We’ve made great strides, but preliminary statistics show that pedestrian rail trespass incidents rose nearly 10 percent nationwide in 2010 from 2009, and crossing collisions increased 4.5 percent,” Sramek noted. “Our ongoing mission is to educate people about the importance of putting safety first, whether they’re at a crossing or on or near railroad tracks.”

About Operation Lifesaver

Operation Lifesaver's mission is to end collisions, deaths and injuries at highway-rail grade crossings and along railroad rights of way. A national network of certified volunteers provides free presentations on rail safety. Learn more and find tips for staying safe at http://www.oli.org, or visit OLI on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/operation.lifesaver and Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/olinational.

About National Train Day

National Train Day commemorates the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869. For more information on National Train Day, see www.nationaltrainday.com.

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