'Be aware': LaSalle police and Essex Terminal Railway promote train safety

Police say ATV riders need to stay away from the tracks in LaSalle, Ont. (Source: LaSalle police)

The LaSalle Police Service , LaSalle Fire Service, and the Essex Terminal Railway / Morterm are teaming up to promote train safety.

The ETR tracks run through LaSalle from Highway 18 to Malden Road. The tracks and the property adjacent to the tracks are private property, owned by the ETR and posted as no trespassing.

Using the tracks as throughways for pedestrian, ATV, or snowmobile traffic or ignoring crossing signals while driving your automobile is not only illegal but also dangerous. Trains cannot stop even when it is apparent that a collision may be imminent.

Vehicles travelling along the ETR tracks disturb the aggregate under and around the wooden ties that hold the tracks in place which could result in a derailment or disaster.

On May 18, 2022, Senior Const. Bonnie Racine, Firefighter Chad Thibert, and Sgt. Mike Agostinis worked with members of the ETR to bring their message forward. This included photos and an invitation to travel in a newly retrofitted locomotive. They were able to see the world through the eyes of an engineer and hear their perspective.

“Within minutes of moving along the tracks, I felt uneasy with what I was seeing in front of the engine. Cars and Semi-trucks were still crossing and even stopped on the tracks despite the crossing signals clearly activated and the train whistle being blown by Ken our engineer,” said Agostinis.

Agostinis says it was an eye-opening experience and it turned the locomotive from just being a machine to something more human.

Police are urging the public to stay off the ETR property and help them avoid a tragedy.