Students trying to save a minute on their way to class Monday morning risked their lives by crossing over and crawling under a stopped train that began moving shortly after.
A UW-Madison DoIT employee, Christine Lazar, witnessed the incident and sent the details in an e-mail to Terri Parks, assistant at the UW-Madison Police Department.
Lazar said she stopped at a railroad crossing by West Dayton Street on her way to work.
Due to the train's length and slower travel because of snow, the train stopped for approximately five minutes, she reported.
Lazar said she saw several students crossing over the paused train, despite her pleas for them to stop.
She said she believed one student even crawled under the belly of the train.
The train started up again roughly 20-30 seconds later, according to Lazar's estimate.
UWPD officer Cherise Caradine said even if a conductor was attentive, the train's length prohibits a clear view of areas surrounding the locomotive.
""[Trains] don't have the quick stopping power like you would in a vehicle,"" Caradine said. ""It takes distance—just like a semi has a greater stopping distance than a car.""
According to the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad company, which operates trains in the Madison area, ""The average freight train traveling at 25 miles per hour, such as on the WSOR, can take up to two-thirds of a mile to come to a complete stop.""
""People think they can beat them—race past them or get out of the way, but it's not very probable,"" Caradine said. ""Take the long way, be safe, you don't know what action the train's going to take.""
In addition to safety risks, Caradine said crossing over when the railroad crossing bars are down could constitute ""failure to obey pedestrian control signals,"" and carry a $160 fine.
