Amtrak vs Pedestrian in KAL

[NSSD70ACe]

353 hit someone while pulling into the Kalamazoo station earlier today (3/10). Train was moving slow enough that the man lived.

https://kalamazoopublicsafety.org/2019/ ... -by-train/

[Ypsi]

Having been to Kalamazoo multiple times in the last week and observing 365 arriving, there was a lot of random non Amtrak passenger activity around the tracks.. including random people walking the ROW and sitting on crossing/ signal equipment very close to the tracks. Is this linked to the homeless population which I recall frequent the depots area?

[NSSD70ACe]

Having been to Kalamazoo multiple times in the last week and observing 365 arriving, there was a lot of random non Amtrak passenger activity around the tracks.. including random people walking the ROW and sitting on crossing/ signal equipment very close to the tracks. Is this linked to the homeless population which I recall frequent the depots area?

Very much so. There are two homeless shelter/sanctuary areas on either side of the station. One is directly across Rose, the other backs up to the short-term parking area. They don’t usually bother anyone, especially when a train is in town, but they frequently walk the ROW without a care in the world for train traffic.

[~Z~]

I was in Kzoo last week, and rode Amtrak 353. Before the train arrived, yes, lots of random people walking around it seemed. The station is also used for the main hub for bus traffic in town, so many people come in and out. Used the bathroom there... saw two guys in a stall together laughing.. another guy was shampooing and drying his head under the hand driers.

[Super Chief]

Not much security there either. If you wait long enough you'll see just about anything. It's not a new thing going on for years but they have the run of the place. Ticket agent says nothing and no police presence. This past summer they had a hobo like encampment between the tracks and the mission.

[NSSD70ACe]

Not much security there either. If you wait long enough you'll see just about anything. It's not a new thing going on for years but they have the run of the place. Ticket agent says nothing and no police presence. This past summer they had a hobo like encampment between the tracks and the mission.

KDPS (especially in that area of town) are frying bigger fish. As long as they homeless aren’t causing problems, they won’t say “shoo”.

As for the ticket agent not saying anything, I’m hardly surprised. That’s one guy against I don’t know how many people who don’t really care.

No reason to fear though...if a problem does arise, Public Safety Station 4/5 is less than a mile away.