Is it illegal to walk along side railroad tracks?

Question

Is it illegal to walk along side railroad tracks?

Answer 1

You can walk along side, as long as you remain on the right side of the fence (and you have permission from whoever owns the land)

Answer 2

I believe it is because you're on the RR company's right of way which is the track and land on either sides of the track as well.

Answer 3

It depends on you local laws.  When I lived in Washington State the local laws were against it but in California they did not care.  It could be one of those stupid laws that they just don't enforce until someone gets hurt.  Check with you local police department.

Answer 4

it's called trespassing

Answer 5

I think it is illegal to walk along side railroad tracks because you could probably get hit by a train.

Answer 6

What part of no tresspass did you not understand? That why there are fences & signs. Beside the minor factor people like you gettting hit by trains. Rails are for trains, not people.

Answer 7

I have always heard that it is illegal to walk on the RR right of way. That would be the rails and the rail bed.

Answer 8

Most  railroads claim 100' right of way...that's 50' from the center of the railroad tracks..  while it may not always be illegal to walk along side of tracks its definitely not wise too...

Answer 9

Yes.  You are trespassing.  The RR's are the largest property owners next to the US Government.  They own the land the track is on and immediately next to for a distance.  Technically they own the RR crossing that you go over.  That's one reason why they have the right of way to cross and you have to stop.  

You could be arrested by the RR Police, yes there are police that patrol the track.  Ever since 9/11 many have take a no nonsense approach to people on their property.  The railroads didn't get all the money the airlines did for added security so they have to make do.  I don't need to say what kinda nastiness could happen if somone decided to be a very bad person.

So again Yes.  For your own safety.

Answer 10

no matter where you are the answer is yes, even if it's a non-working section of track. the railrod owns not only the track itself but also the entire cleared section around it. so even walking beside them is considered trespassing and could cause some serious trouble. my advice: don't do it.

Answer 11

yes

Answer 12

i'm pretty sure it is, but i don't know how often they fine people for it or anything like that. the police would probably just tell you to keep away from them in the future. i doubt you'd get in big trouble for it unless they caught you doing it over and over again, because it is dangerous to be walking along near train tracks on which trains are speeding by at around 80 or 90 MPH. as you probably know, trains weigh a lot so it takes them a loooong time to slow down after going so fast. if there was someone on the tracks, there's no way they could slow down in time not to hit them.

Answer 13

Yes its tresspassing, the railroad owns the land

Answer 14

Yes and no.

If you are in a rail yard, within a fenced off area posted no trespassing or otherwise, you are in fact trespassing and are subject to arrest.  These people don't s***w around and you will be arrested by either state, county, municipal or railroad police.

Out and about, if not posted, there is nothing wrong with walking along railroad property outside of the obvious safety issues.  My seniority district parallels 30 miles of the upper Sacramento River canyon in northern California.  This is a primo fishery and attracts anglers from all over the planet.  They move up and down the river on railroad right of way.  The signs posted "advise" not to continue, citing safety reasons, but it is not illegal to be there.

Since safety has been brought up, did you know you can be killed very easily, even if standing 10 or 15 feet away from the freight cars?  See those large loads of lumber rolling by, wrapped with those thick steel bands?  Well, they break.  And when they do, they flail along on the ground, getting sharper as they go, just like the popsicle sticks of your youth.  Then here comes one your way and PRESTO!!  You're in at least two pieces.  They can reach out and touch ya. Let's see Chris Angel top that..........

Better to stay clear, but if you are going to be in close proximity, as the river area I have described above, be aware of where you are and which direction you can jump to quickly to get out of the way.  Don't be on the inside of the tracks  but on the river side, if at all possible.

If you're not sure whether you should be somewhere, you're probably not supposed to be there.