After a student Barrington High School student was fatally struck by a rush hour Metra train last month, the village of Barrington is working to enhance safety measures at rail crossings through education, increased signage and the potential addition of pedestrian gates and underpasses.
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On Jan. 25, Marin Lacson, 17, a BHS junior, was struck and killed by a commuter train on her way to school. She was on the lacrosse team and in the Chinese Immersion Program, according to Barrington High School District 220 officials. Her mother, Bridget, is also an employee at the school.
In the wake of the incident, village officials asked the Illinois Commerce Commission and the Illinois Department of Transportation to support adding pedestrian gates at the track crossings on Hough Street and Cook and Main streets — where the incident took place.
Metra operates its Union Pacific Union Pacific Northwest Line between McHenry and downtown Chicago at the Ogilvie Transportation Center on the tracks, but the tracks are owned and operated by Union Pacific Railroad company.
According to a news release from the village, the ICC and IDOT have planned projects at these crossing locations.
A spokesperson for Union Pacific said the company hasn’t received notification about a pedestrian crossing on the tracks, but requests of this nature are typically managed by the ICC and IDOT.
“Union Pacific is always open to discussing railroad crossing safety with communities,” the spokesperson said in an email.
The village plans to eliminate a rail crossing at Route 14 and the Canadian National tracks, with installation of an underpass. The underpass project will remove the intersection of train tracks, roads and pedestrian paths to ensure a safer passage for vehicles and pedestrians, village officials have previously explained.
Construction on that project is expected to begin this year.
An additional upcoming action to increase safety includes a pedestrian underpass at Main Street and the Canadian National tracks. The crossing is used daily by students, according to village officials.
Federal funding has been secured by the village for the preliminary engineering design of the pedestrian underpass, according to village officials.
The underpass will connect the Village Center and Barrington High School.
The fatal incident happened around 7:45 a.m., according to Metra spokesman Michael Gillis, as the Union Pacific Northwest train was approaching the Barrington station for a regularly scheduled stop in the northwest suburb.
Gillis said witnesses told Metra police that all rail crossing warning lights and gates were engaged at the time. Metra police are investigating, Gillis said.
To educate and reinforce safety rules, Barrington police, along with Metra and Union Pacific safety officials, will increase their presence at rail crossings.
Additional signage and pavement markings will be added at pedestrian rail crossings.
Village officials said District 220 is reviewing instructional practices pertaining to rail safety education.
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