Ohio ranks 6th in railroad accidents

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Railroad crossing accidents in Ohio dropped significantly over the past decade, but the state still ranks sixth nationally with 112 accidents and 11 deaths last year, according to a federal report.
The report released Monday by the inspector general for the U.S. Department of Transportation said the number of accidents in Ohio was cut nearly in half from 10 years ago.
State officials said they have aggressively worked to improve crossing safety.
The Ohio Rail Development Commission said that later this summer it will improve its 1,000th crossing since a warning light and gate program began in 1995.
And in 2000, the state launched a 10-year, $200 million effort to build overpasses and underpasses to eliminate crossings.
Stu Nicholson, spokesman for the rail commission, said one of the reasons Ohio ranks high in crossing accidents is the state has so many miles of track. He said the state's 5,230 miles of active track ranks fourth nationally.
Ohio Operation Lifesaver, a nonprofit group that promotes railroad crossing safety, said warning lights and gates were working properly in half the cases of fatal crossing accidents in Ohio last year. In the other half, there were no warning lights at the crossing.