Up to $10 million in fencing will be installed along rail tracks in Chester, where two children were killed last year
The two deaths were among more than 700 "trespasser" fatalities on rail tracks in 2023.
Kids in the neighborhood evidently often climbed through a hole in the fencing to cross the railroad tracks in Chester’s West End, a shortcut to a playground — a dangerous one, given that the tracks were part of Amtrak’s ultra-busy Northeast Corridor.
On April 29, 2023, Jahaad Atkinson, 9, and Ah’Yir Womack, 12, were struck and killed by an Acela train, prompting a lawsuit filed on behalf of their parents, alleging that the National Railroad Passenger Corp., the entity that operates Amtrak, was negligent in maintaining the fence.
While it’s uncertain whether the tragedy was the impetus, the Federal Rail Administration has announced that it has awarded a grant for up to $7.8 million for “high security steel fencing” along a “segment” of rail in Chester.
Amtrak, the project’s sponsor, will put up the 20% local match, a standard practice in federal contracts. The match would raise the potential expenditure to nearly $10 million.
Emeka Igwe, the attorney who filed the suit in August, which is pending, said this week that the protective fencing was a major “ask” in pursuing the litigation.
In announcing the suit, Igwe said the fence had been in “severe disrepair,” with a hole large enough for an adult to easily climb through.
“Amtrak builds in poor inner-city neighborhoods and doesn’t invest resources to maintain its property there,” he said at the time. “That has to change.”
The children were among 715 “trespassers” killed on tracks in 2023, according to the National Safety Council, the most in at least 10 years. In the 10-year period ending in 2023, a total of 5,419 such deaths were reported.
“Amtrak is working on several fencing projects nationwide, including an important program to better secure the Northeast Corridor,” spokesperson Beth Toll said Wednesday.
The National Rail Association, which announced the grant Oct. 31, Amtrak, and Chester officials shared only sparse details of the project. It was unknown when it would begin or the length of track to be fenced off.
Staff writer Vinny Vella contributed to this article.