UP, Lone Star College Training Truckers With Simulated Rail Crossings

Written by Union Pacific, Corporate Communications
Pictured (left to right) at the Feb. 15 launch of Lone Star College's simulated railroad crossings: Jessica Devorsky, Executive Director-Texas Operation Lifesaver; Erik Lewis, Manager Industry and Public Projects, UP; Jill Metcalf, Director, Lone Star College; Buck Russel, Sr. Supervisor Public Safety, UP; and Richard Zientek, Sr. Director Public Affairs, UP.

Pictured (left to right) at the Feb. 15 launch of Lone Star College's simulated railroad crossings: Jessica Devorsky, Executive Director-Texas Operation Lifesaver; Erik Lewis, Manager Industry and Public Projects, UP; Jill Metcalf, Director, Lone Star College; Buck Russel, Sr. Supervisor Public Safety, UP; and Richard Zientek, Sr. Director Public Affairs, UP.

The first time a truck-driving student at Lone Star College in Houston, Tex., encounters a railroad crossing will be on a training course—not a public highway.

Union Pacific (UP) supplied the signs, the expertise, and the full-throttled support for the construction of two simulated railroad crossings at the Lone Star College Transportation and Global Logistics Technology Center, which opened June 3, 2020.

Approximately 94% of all rail-related fatalities and injuries occur at railroad crossings or due to trespassing. Nearly all are preventable.

“We are proud to add this partnership to our successful truck driving training,” said Linda L. Head, Senior Associate Vice Chancellor at Lone Star College. “We hope this addition to our well-respected truck driving program prevents accidents and saves lives for future students.”

The project was a golden opportunity for UP to pay its expertise and knowledge forward, helping to educate a new generation of drivers on railroad crossing safety, said Andrey Drozdov, General Manager of Transportation in the Houston area.

“Union Pacific was honored to be a part of this project—one that will send commercial drivers out on the road with the real-world experience needed to safely approach and cross railroad tracks,” said Drozdov.

The railroad crossings—one for training, one for testing—formally opened for business Feb. 15 following a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by college and railroad officials, including Head and Drozdov.

UP got involved with the project after Lone Star College contacted Buck Russel, the Class I’s Senior Supervisor-Public Safety. “They reached out to discuss how we could partner on railroad safety, and we threw several things around and landed on the simulated railroad crossing,” Russel said.

UP supplied several sets of signs, including Emergency Notification Systems’ signs with fake crossing and emergency contact numbers. But the biggest contribution from the railroad was information.

Erik Lewis, Manager of Public Projects-Engineering, helped install the signs and provided guidance on the pavement markings, as well as the dimensions of the simulated railroad crossing.

“This is a big win for all of us—for railroaders and truckers alike who live and work safely every single day,” Lewis said.

This article was originally published in the Inside Track section of the UP website.

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