The Vermont Agency of Transportation is reporting an increase in trespassing on railroad tracks since the suspension of Amtrak services. Amtrak trains are now back in Vermont, as crews prepare for full services to resume on July 19th.

VTrans wants to remind Vermonters that it is both illegal and dangerous to trespass on railroad property. Trains can weigh up to 200 tons and reach speeds of about 80 MPH. This means trains can take almost a mile to make an emergency stop.

Toni Hamburg Clithero, Program Manager for Vermont Agency of Transportation Amtrak Grants says, “We really want to get the word out there, that when you see tracks you need to think trains because they come on, there is no set schedule, they can come at any time and they are moving a lot faster than you think they are moving.”

Every year, thousands of people nationally are killed or injured at highway-rail crossings and at other locations along railroad tracks.