WASHINGTON – Railroad industry officials have raised concerns about a recent National Public Radio story that they say glorifies train hopping, a practice that is both dangerous and illegal.
The Feb. 17 story, “Train hoppers ride the rails across America — and you can tag along,” stunned officials from the Federal Railroad Administration, the Association of American Railroads, and Operation Lifesaver.
The story by NPR reporter Manuela López Restrepo does point out that train hopping is an illegal pastime that has claimed lives.
But the bulk of the story romanticizes the modern hobo lifestyle, which in the social media era has attracted people who post YouTube videos of their exploits. Some of the videos have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times.
None of this sits well with rail safety advocates.
“Massive 400,000-pound locomotives pull heavy railcars at high speeds, creating a deadly environment for trespassers. More than 95% of rail-related injuries and fatalities involve trespassing and grade crossings,” an AAR spokesperson says. “Every year, people are severely injured or killed underestimating the force of moving trains. Beyond the risk, train hopping is a crime with legal consequences. NPR listeners must know that no thrill is worth the danger—stay off the tracks and stay safe.”
Operation Lifesaver said it had “grave concerns” with the NPR story. Jennifer DeAngelis, a spokeswoman for Operation Lifesaver, said in an email to the reporter that the story “glorifies unsafe and illegal behaviors around tracks and trains with only a brief mention of safety concerns.”
DeAngelis says she fears the NPR story will encourage people to give train hopping a try.
“The reality is stark: a person or vehicle is hit by a train every three hours in the U.S., and more than 1,000 Americans are killed or injured trespassing on railroad tracks each year,” DeAngelis says. “Train tracks and freight cars are private property and being on them without permission is both dangerous and illegal.”
NPR did not respond to a request for comment today.
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