Is it safe to touch a train track?

If you touched the live third rail and any one of the others, or to the ground, yes. It's not only at a high voltage, but it's also DC which has the effect on your muscles of clamping on so you can't move. At least AC is at zero Volts every so often... But between the two normal rails probably not.



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Standing upon (or making bodily-contact with) both wheel-rails of a railroad line simultaneously would almost-certainly not result in a life-threatening (nor even mild) electrical-shock of any sort (they are grounded and almost never carry any more than a few stray, harmless volts of electricity, if any).

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All train tracks are private property, so pedestrians should never walk on or near them.

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Wait until you can see clearly around the first train in both directions. Never walk around or behind lowered gates at a crossing. Do not cross the tracks until the lights have stopped flashing and it is safe to do so. You can be fined for failure to obey these signals.

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Walking on or beside railroad tracks is illegal. The only safe place to cross tracks is at designated public crossings with a crossbuck, flashing red lights or a gate. Crossing anywhere else is illegal.

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In one study conducted at the BNSF Railway Hobart Railyard in Los Angeles, the California Environmental Protection Agency estimated that residents living near a railyard experienced a higher risk of carcinogen exposure.

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The metaphor comes from the high-voltage third rail in some electric railway systems. This third rail, used to power trains, usually results in the death by electrocution of anyone who comes into direct contact with it.

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Andy Morris survives 625-volt zap after being pushed onto live third rail in drunken brawl.

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The middle of the train is by far the safest for persons. The National Transportation Safety Board does not release comprehensive data on where victims were sitting during fatal train accidents, though some details are available in individual investigative reports.

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What happens if you stand too close to a train? Air between person and the train moves with high velocity due to dragging effect and the air behind person is approximately still.

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That's because the noise a train makes is mainly projected to either side. When trains are moving directly towards you they are barely audible–until it's too late.” He adds: “It's surprisingly easy to overload the brain to the point where it can't triangulate where sound is coming from.”

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Freight and passenger railroad cars and locomotives have flanges on the inside of the wheel. The inside of the wheel has a larger diameter than the outside. The flange keeps the wheels on the track. The same principle is used on model railroads and most toy trains.

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#1 Sri Lanka Tsunami Train Wreck The train, dubbed the Queen of the Sea, was destroyed by the Indian Ocean tsunami on December 26, 2004, in what is now considered the world's deadliest rail tragedy. It was a holiday weekend in Sri Lanka due to the full moon and the Christmas holiday weekend.

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The Great Train Wreck of 1918. On July 9, 1918, two passenger trains collided head-on in Nashville, Tennessee. Today, it remains the worst railroad accident in United States history. The amount of lives that the crash claimed varies based on what source is used.

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According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), since 1975, there has been an average of 1.3 train accidents per year involving fatalities. Compare that with 2,584 aviation accidents and 700 bus accidents over the same time period.

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Truck crashes tend to be local and less dramatic than a pile of derailed train cars on fire, even if they're deadlier. In fact, federal data shows that rail has had far fewer incidents, deaths and damage when moving hazardous materials in the U.S. than trucks.

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Compared to other popular forms of travel, such as cars, ships, buses, and planes, trains are one of the safest forms of transportation in the United States.

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Freight and Commuter Trains Don't stop on the tracks. Make sure you have room to get across. Once you enter the crossing, keep moving. Stop 15 feet away from flashing red lights, lowered gates, a signaling flagman or a stop sign.

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A train can extend three or more feet on either side of the steel rail, so the safe zone for pedestrians is well beyond three feet on either side. And when vehicles are stopped at a designated crossing, they should remain 15 feet or more from a rail.

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Test suggest that they create an average of about 85 db of noise (at close proximity). Will a high speed train be noisier? Not necessarily. Older tracks, if not well maintained, can make additional noise as trains rattle over them.

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Railroad tracks are private property, not public trails. It's illegal and dangerous to walk on or near tracks unless you're using a designated crossing.

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Freighthopping or trainhopping is the act of surreptitiously boarding and riding a freightcar, which is usually illegal. Freight-hopping youth near Bakersfield, California (National Youth Administration, 1940)

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