Illinois officials to observe, improve safety in commuter trains

Officials from the police and Metra BNSF have announced that they will ride commuter trains in order to observe the community on the trains and improve safety for passengers.

Representatives from a variety of agencies, including county, state and local law enforcement agencies, will participate in a new exercise called “Officer on the Train.”

The exercise, which begins on Aug. 19, 2015, will serve to improve the grade crossing safety of the commuter trains. The participating law enforcement officers will fulfill the exercise by riding at the head of a control car. The Metra BNSF Line commuter train will journey from Aurora to Chicago.

The law enforcement officers will community with other patrol units that will be stationed on the ground. The stationed patrol units will enforce any trespassing or grade cross violations that they find.

Through this teamwork, leaders in Illinois plan to improve the safety of commuter trains for everyone involved.

The exercise will only last for one day.

The safety of commuter trains is crucial to the U.S. economy, as commuters use public transportation to travel to and from work and school on a daily basis. Compromising the safety of these vehicles would be detrimental to individuals as well as the U.S. as a whole.

Metra Rail is located at 547 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago.