Captain Martino was in telephone
contact with Sheriff Steve Smith who told us that the train was on the
move. It had to cross the Metrolink mainline and be waiting for
its slot to travel to Santa Ana.
We travelled to north Santa Ana to
view the train from the Fairhaven and Lincoln intersection. This
location is the last remaining single track area from Fullerton to
Laguna Niguel, a 22 mile stretch. The bridge over Santiago Creek
has been in place for over one year and waiting for rails which will be
installed in spring 2007. Before the OL train travelled by, a
northbound Amtrak Pacific Surfliner passed.
At Santa Ana Station, more local
television stations were waiting to
interview California State Operation Lifesaver President Zoe
Richmond. In her interview with Orange County's KOCE PBS
television station she stated "the issue here is a major problem,
because 100% of these events can be prevented and as we have the
population increasing, as we see an increase in both commuter and
freight trains, the problem's just going to get worse unless we take
some of these proactive measures." Those measures being targeted
law enforcement with emphasis on motorists who pass the white limit
line when gates and/or red flashing lights are activated. "We had 209 vehicle violations and
22 pedestrian violations. These citations can be up to $320.00 It's important for the public
to understand that trains take up to a mile to stop. By the time the
engineer sees unsafe behavior it may be too late to stop."
The train was ordered back to Anaheim
where the officers had done their
debriefing and had lunch. The official statistics were 86
personmel involved; total number of
citations issued to motor vehicles: 209; total number of citations
issued to pedestrians: 22; total number of violations observed but not
contacted 57; total number of misdemeanor arrests made: 5;, total
number of stolen cars recovered:2; total number of vehicles stored or
impounded: 17.
After the photographic opportunities
with law enforcement, the train
re-entered the Metrolink mainline and proceeded back to Los Angeles via
Fullerton on the BNSF mainline.
