The Institute for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE) at NC State University in collaboration with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has conducted research to develop a more complete understanding of the extent of pedestrian trespassing along the rail network in North Carolina. This research seeks to better quantify and describe the universe of trespassing activities including those events that do not result in injury or death through the development and testing of static (fixed base) thermal camera systems. Thermal camera systems were deployed at a sample of trespassing hot spots along railroad corridors in North Carolina to determine a count of trespassing events for the data collection time periods and an estimate of the trespassing frequency at the hot spots. Using these trespassing event data, models for estimating and predicting trespassing across the rail network were developed. The data were also used to develop profiles of trespassing activity by season of year, month of year, day of week, and hour of day for each hot spot location that can inform local-level intervention strategies.
