CSX Switches Tracks from Closing Off Access to "Keep on Living"
Hard to believe that a little over two years ago (October 26, 2004 to be exact) CSX sued the City of Philadelphia to close the two crossings at Race and Locust Streets. This in spite of overwhelming public support for keeping them open that was communicated via your emails and phone calls directly to CSX and to elected officials. Free Schuylkill River Park worked to ensure that the voices of park users were heard expressing support for both crossings to be kept open and made safe for pedestrians, cyclists and other park users through the installation of gates and other crossings technologies.
In early 2005, the City and CSX agreed to try and settle the case. Although eighteen months have passed and they are still working out the details of a settlement, we are pleased that CSX has switched tracks and is now trying to work with the community to make the crossings safe until an agreement is in place, instead of working to close off our access.
Earlier this fall, after consulting with Free Schuylkill River Park and SRDC, CSX started its "Keep On Living" campaign to send a positive message about using caution around the tracks and discouraging people from crawling through parked trains. As you probably have seen, they've been handing out T-Shirts, water, hats and frisbees to the delight of park users. (We see those T-shirts everywhere!). Now, they've installed four signs at each crossing with a map of alternative routes to exit and enter the park if a train is blocking the crossing.
This safety campaign signals to us that CSX acknowledges that people will use these two crossings no matter what. The crossings must be made safe and CSX needs to demonstrate its good faith by not parking trains to block them.
We're pleased that CSX is more willing to be a good neighbor than two years ago; and we're anxious to see if this good faith can get translated into the settlement agreement that is being worked out with the City's Law Department.
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