Transport Canada gives $250,000 to railway association for safety program

OTTAWA — Transport Canada will give $250,000 to the Railway Association of Canada for a campaign to reduce accidents at rail crossings by 50% by 2006.

Called Direction 2006, the program is described as a partnership between all levels of government, law enforcement agencies, safety organizations, and railway companies and unions.

The focus of the program “will be on what people should do — for their own safety, as well as their family’s and friends’ — rather than what they should not do,” said RAC president Bob Ballantyne. The money will be used to educate police officers, municipal road authorities, and new drivers about rail-crossing safety, he said.

Direction 2006 is part of a $7-million-per-year government-industry rail safety program that includes upgrading, relocating, or closing dangerous crossings. Transport Canada finances up to 80% of the total cost of the improvements, with the railways, municipalities, or provinces providing the balance.

Transport Canada also supports rail safety through an annual contribution of $200,000 to “Operation Lifesaver,” an RAC public education program that has promoted safety at railway crossings since 1981.