ABINGTON, Mass. — After decades of crashes and deaths along the Kingston Commuter Rail Line in Abington, the MBTA last month announced safety improvements and upgrades to all 292 Commuter Rail crossings in the state.
“We are committed to a safe and reliable transportation system,” MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng said at Board of Directors meeting July 27. “We’ve seen behavior change through these high visible treatments.”
Eng said the safety improvements will include adding:
- Fog lines
- Pavement reflectors
- Reflective bollards to prevent cars from turning onto the tracks
All 292-grade crossings on the MBTA’s Commuter Rail system will receive those upgrades by the end of September, Eng said. The safety improvements are at least partially motivated by calls for change in Abington, where town officials say there have been an unusual number of crashes and deaths in the last 25 years.
Abington’s Board of Selectmen sent a letter to Eng in April asking for help making safety improvements along Abington’s seven commuter rail crossings. According to the board, there have been at least 19 crashes and sixth deaths along the Kingston Commuter Rail Line since 1997. One of the incidents involved a 78-year-old man who was killed crossing North St. in 2017 when a train collided with his pick-up truck. Two more cars were hit by trains in 2018 and 2020 resulting in no injuries.
Abington Town Manager Scott Lambiase hired transportation safety consultants in 2022 to study the town’s railroad crossings following the death of 18-year-old Katelyn McCarthy in May. The Abington High School senior was hit and killed by a commuter rail train at Birch St. while walking across the tracks with a friend. Katelyn’s mother, Lori Frost, said her daughter was wearing headphones and didn’t see the train approaching.
“There’s no getting over the loss of a child. It’s a terminal diagnosis,” Frost said.
Lambiase said the MBTA Commuter Rail can travel up to 70 mph through Abington. He’d still like to see trains hit the brakes.
“I would like to see them still slow it down a bit. I don’t know that it works for what they need to get done,” Lambiase said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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