Metro held a press event this morning at the Blue Line Vernon Station to bring attention to train safety. While motor vehicle accidents have shown a steady decline over the past 23 years, pedestrian incidents remain a problem.

Metro reminds all passengers to pay attention to warning signals and bells at rail crossings and to engage in safe behavior around the tracks and on train platforms. Metro has also partnered with Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center to deal with the increase of suicides along the alignment through community outreach and intervention.

Here are a pair of Metro staff reports on Blue Line safety; the first lists safety improvements that have been made over the years and the second explains items discussed and recommended by a Blue Line safety task force that Metro convened last year.

A new wrap on the Blue Line. Photo by Gary Leonard for Metro.

Read the full press release from Metro after the jump.

Metro officials, suicide prevention experts, law enforcement and passenger safety ambassadors, today held a press conference to focus on suicides and accidents on the Metro Blue Line involving pedestrians who ignore and go around gates and other safety warning devices with tragic consequences.

The Metro Blue Line carries about 27 million boarding passengers annually along a 22-mile alignment that stretches from downtown Los Angeles to Long Beach. Train versus motor vehicle accidents have shown a steady decline over the past 23 years since service debuted, however, pedestrian incidents remain a stubborn problem with suicides becoming a major concern.

In 2012, four people committed suicide by jumping in front of Blue Line trains. Today Metro announced a partnership with Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center to deal with the increase of suicides along the alignment through community outreach and intervention.

Law enforcement and safety officials also urged the public to pay attention when approaching the train stations and crossing the tracks and stay behind the safety gates when they are lowered. They said they often observe pedestrians along the alignment texting, listening to music with headphones on, making phone calls, drawing their hoodies low across their faces and engaging in other behavior that can lead to distraction and be dangerous in the vicinity of trains.

More than a dozen motorcycle officers from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) and Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) participated in a traffic enforcement operation around the Metro Blue Line Vernon Station.