A pattern of train-related incidents, including at least two deaths in Santa Barbara County this year, has prompted transportation agencies to launch a public awareness campaign targeting communities along the busy Amtrak Pacific Surfliner corridor.

The campaign, led by the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner and the nonprofit California Operation Lifesaver, is part of the nationwide observance of September as National Rail Safety Month and comes as California continues to lead the nation in rail fatalities.

The 351-mile Pacific Surfliner route, formally known as the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor (LOSSAN), is the second-busiest intercity rail corridor in the country and serves 29 stations across six coastal counties, including Santa Barbara.

As part of the campaign, the LOSSAN Agency, which manages the Pacific Surfliner service, is rolling out new safety signage near schools and busy crossings in Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties, along with a broader public education push.

“Keeping people safe is an important priority for the Pacific Surfliner,” Fred Jung, chair of the LOSSAN Agency Board of Directors, said in a statement. “We are proud to partner with California Operation Lifesaver to raise awareness and provide information on staying safe near train tracks for our Southern California community.”

Officials describe these efforts as a response to a rise in “trespasser incidents,” a term used by the LOSSAN Agency to refer to any unauthorized presence on the tracks, including pedestrians, whether or not a collision occurs.

LOSSAN reported 23 trespasser-related incidents along the Pacific Surfliner corridor between July 2024 and March 2025, including seven fatal collisions with trains. Two of those deaths occurred in Santa Barbara County during the first three months of this year.

One person was fatally struck about a mile south of the Carpinteria Station by an Amtrak train, according to LOSSAN records. Another was killed in southern Santa Barbara County, when a train hit a person lying across the tracks.

Other recent incidents in the county included a train striking a bicycle being pulled across the tracks in Santa Barbara and a lengthy delay near Goleta after an engineer believed they had hit a person. In both cases, LOSSAN said no individuals were located after the trains stopped.

Responding to rail emergencies presents unique challenges in Santa Barbara County.

“It’s heavy infrastructure that runs through our communities and the 101 freeway,” said Brian Federmann, operations division chief for the Santa Barbara Fire Department.

He said calls typically come in as a pedestrian or vehicle versus train, triggering a large-scale emergency response that often includes two fire engines and an ambulance. If a vehicle is involved, additional equipment such as the Jaws of Life may be dispatched.

Montecito Fire Protection District Chief of Operations Anthony Hudley said their crews also respond to rail emergencies, often assisting Carpinteria-Summerland Fire. He emphasized the importance of coordination with rail operators when firefighters are working near active tracks.

“We communicate with [Union Pacific] to advise them that we’re present,” Hudley said. “We place personnel in a position where they can watch for any incoming trains to notify us on the radio, and [the railroad] responds quickly with any requests for us to have them slow or stop the trains if we are on scene of an incident.”

Hudley urged the public to be mindful near train tracks and to follow established safety protocols, such as utilizing appropriate crossing locations. He said that in Montecito, established pedestrian paths such as the Butterfly Lane pedestrian tunnel provide a safe option for crossing the tracks.

“We encourage the community to do so to ensure that we practice safe activities and crossings during appropriate times and to understand the hazards that are associated with not utilizing those designated locations,” he said.

Train safety has been a recurring concern in Santa Barbara County. A 2019 Grand Jury report found that 20 people were struck and killed by trains between 2015 and 2018, with 18 of the deaths occurring on two specific segments of track along the South Coast.

The report noted that many incidents occurred along stretches of track that separate residential areas from the coastline, where people often cross the railroad right-of-way to access beaches and trails.

Noozhawk has reported on three fatal collisions between trains and pedestrians in recent months, all occurring within the same time frame covered by the LOSSAN report.

In October, a man was struck and killed by a train in Summerland. In February, a 70-year-old woman was killed in Carpinteria. In a separate incident later that month, a man was fatally struck in Summerland.