Chapter 7 Train Crossings in Costa Rica

In the US, there is so much talk about safety at train crossings. We hear about train vs car/truck/bus/people accidents all the time. The outcry is usually something like this…"something must be done these crossings are just not safe enough”.

According to the Federal Railroad Administration, there were a little under 12,000 total accidents/incidents in 2014 with total fatalities of over 800 (stay with me here). In the US, there are lights, crossings bars and bells to signal an approaching train to a crossing. So in other words, plenty of warnings.

Well in Costa Rica, there is no equivalent to the Federal Railroad Administration (that I could find). What is amazing is that in Costa Rica there are no crossing bars that come down as a train approaches a road crossing. There are no bells, and most crossings don’t even have lights. As the train approaches the crossing, it will blow it's whistle and cars stop.

This is a typical railroad/road intersection. Cars move over the tracks until there is a traffic jam then cars stop on the tracks until the traffic moves again.

It has fascinated me that there are not many a car/train accidents in Costa Rica. Maybe the people of Costa Rica have figured out that an accident between a car and train…The Train Wins.