What is the legal distance a person can be from a railroad track?

Question

What is the legal distance a person can be from a railroad track?

Answer 1

Did you mean "safe" distance? In your car? I didn't know it was illegal to be next to one, dumb maybe, but not illegal.

Answer 2

Legal and " safe" are two different things.

You want to not be on railroad property.

Most of the time its ether fenced off or otherwise not easily accessable.

A reasonable person should know when they are trespassing.

As for safe.  If you stand next to the rail

an arm's length ought to put you far enough for a minimum distance from a train, but you never know if a car carrying bundles of lumber or plywood

has loose metal bands flying out 5 to 10 feet away.

I would stand at least 20 feet or more away...and even this is not SAFE.

If you are not in train or track servcie working on or near tracks or part of a train crew its best to stay a safe distance away.

Answer 3

If you are on railroad property, except at a marked or designated crossing, you are trespassing on private property.

That distance can vary but typically I believe railroad right-of-way is 30' either way from the centerline of the rail.

Most railroad property is fenced, that would be the approximate property line.