Roosevelt commissioner requests county invest in train safety program

In light of a recent train crash near Portales, Roosevelt County Commissioner Dennis Lopez on Tuesday requested the county take advantage of a program called Section 130.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, the “Program provides funds for the elimination of hazards at public railway-highway crossings.”

The crash occurred the morning of Sep. 25 and sent occupants of a vehicle to the hospital with injuries that were not life threatening, according to BNSF.

“There’s no way a train should be going 49 mph through the heart of our town,” Lopez said of the crash.

By utilizing Section 130, cross gates flashers can be implemented. This enhances safety because it uses, “flashing red lights that warn drivers of an approaching train and are used to close the road when a train is approaching,” according to Operation Lifesaver.

A majority of Lopez’s frustration stems from how he’s been asking for precautions for several years now. 

“I addressed this back when Ron Jackson was mayor – God rest his soul,” Lopez said. 

In a 2019 Portales City Council meeting, when the speed limits increased from 20 mph to 49 mph, Lopez told city officials, “I’m very, very, very concerned about this. We have no activated crossing gates on Boston (Avenue), as of today no lights on Boston,” Lopez said. “There is a lot of traffic, there is a lot of pedestrian traffic, every kind of traffic that you can think of.”

He added: “I just see the danger in it. I’ve been born and raised (here). I used to walk those streets from early, early childhood and I can foresee some really bad things going on without signals and a 50 mile-per-hour train going through our town.”

Despite Lopez’s efforts, county commissioners took no action.

Research from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration shows that, “The Section 130 Program has been correlated with a significant decrease in fatalities at railway-highway grade crossings. From 2000 to 2023 the most recent data available shows fatalities at these crossings have decreased by 41 percent.”

“I knew there was going to be an accident, it is on record from years ago,” Lopez said.