A Burns man's death at a railroad crossing last month ended Wyoming's five-year streak without a vehicle-train fatality.
It's exactly the kind of issue the Wyoming Department of Transportation wants to hear about as it updates its Statewide Rail Plan.
WYDOT has launched an online public meeting for the plan update, open for feedback through Jan. 31, 2026, at wyomingstatewiderailplan.com.
Jordan Young, deputy public affairs officer for WYDOT, said the plan is a standard document the federal government reviews when the state pursues grants for rail improvements.
"We have hundreds of railroad crossings in Wyoming, and we want to make sure that we are making them as safe as they can be, and knowing where any spots are that could use improvement," Young told Cowboy State Daily.
She said the agency expects to hear from the public about the primary way most Wyomingites interact with trains — at highway crossings.
"We want to make sure that we hear from folks where they see potential for separated crossings or other safety endeavors into the future," Young said.
Wyoming has 391 public railroad crossings, according to WYDOT.
Of those, 221 are protected with gates and flashing lights, 45 have flashing lights only, 121 have yield signs and "crossbuck" railroad warning signs, and four have stop signs and crossbucks.
Crossing Safety
At-grade crossings are where vehicles drive directly over the tracks. Separated crossings use a bridge or underpass to keep vehicles and trains apart.
“Obviously, the separated grade crossings are the safest because it completely minimizes the chance for vehicle and rail interaction," Young said.
The state had gone at least five years without a vehicle-train fatality until late November, when 45-year-old John Balczewski of Burns was killed after his pickup struck a stopped Union Pacific train on County Road 154 north of Interstate 80 east of Cheyenne.
The railroad crossing gate was down and warning lights were flashing at the time, the Laramie County Sheriff's Office reported.
"We average about seven crashes a year in the last five years, where a vehicle and a train have collided,” said Young.
Young noted the state's recent safety record had been encouraging before the November fatality.
In developing a state rail plan, said Young, "I think that this plan is one of those steps to ensure that trend can continue."
Nationally, Federal Railroad Administration data shows 2,264 vehicle-train collisions at highway-rail grade crossings in 2024, resulting in 263 fatalities and 768 injuries — a slight increase from 2023, which saw 2,195 collisions, 244 fatalities and 787 injuries.
Texas led the nation in 2024 with 283 collisions.
While vehicle-train collisions nationwide have dropped roughly 81% since 1972, when about 12,000 occurred annually, the numbers have plateaued in the 2,000-2,300 range since around 2010.
Strikingly, about 63% of vehicle crashes and 75% of fatalities at railroad crossings in 2024 happened at crossings equipped with active warning devices such as signal lights, bells or automatic gates.
Passenger Rail, Too
Young said WYDOT chose an online, self-guided format to make it easier for people to participate.
"We like the self-guided opportunities so that folks can fill it out on their own time between work, kids activities and other things that keep folks busy," Young said. "Rather than an in-person meeting where folks might have to take time away from their busy schedules to be able to voice their opinions, this can be done any time of day between now and the end of January, so we think it's a little more flexible for folks."
Beyond crossing safety, Young said the Statewide Rail Plan will also address passenger rail — another topic she expects to generate public comment.
"I think there's always something to be said for passenger rail," Young said. "While not necessarily pursuing any specific passenger rail endeavors, we do want to hear from folks if they're interested in something like that in the future.
"I think that would be the other big topic that might come up."
Wyoming and South Dakota remain the only two states without passenger rail service. Cheyenne was last served by passenger rail in 1997 after nearly 130 years of service.
A new study from the Cheyenne Metropolitan Planning Organization has identified two potential sites for a future passenger rail station that could connect the capital city to Colorado's Front Range.
Christopher Yaney, director of the Cheyenne MPO, said the study was prompted by Colorado's Front Range Passenger Rail project, which is planning a line from Pueblo to Fort Collins.
"We've been reaching out to them about extending it from Fort Collins to Cheyenne," Yaney told Cowboy State Daily. "They have to go through another process of getting some more funding, and that'll be voted on in November of '26."
The April 2025 study evaluated 12 potential station locations before narrowing the field to two sites for detailed analysis: Old Happy Jack Road near Missile Drive and the Reed Avenue Corridor near downtown.
According to the report, the Old Happy Jack Road site would cost an estimated $30.9 million to develop, while Reed Avenue options range from $24.1 million to $28.2 million.
"We actually had several locations that we looked at and it was narrowed down to two locations," Yaney said. "We also found that Amtrak is reviewing their lines for increasing their passenger rail locations.
"There are three separate lines that go between Denver and Cheyenne."
The study recommends Cheyenne stay engaged with the Front Range Passenger Rail District and apply to the Federal Railroad Administration's Corridor Identification and Development Program in Fall 2025.
A January report from the FRA recommended restoring Amtrak routes across the West, including through Cheyenne, with potential routes connecting to Salt Lake City, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Billings.
Yaney said younger generations are driving demand for passenger rail.
After experiencing stop and go traffic up and down Colorado’s Front Range, said Yaney, a growing number see rail as a preferable alternative.
"What we're finding is the younger public, they're not wanting to drive as much for themselves," Yaney said. "They want to ride some kind of a transit system that will take from point A to point B."
He cautioned that connecting Cheyenne to the Front Range is not getting fast-tracked.
"This is not a plan that's going to happen overnight," Yaney said. "It will happen probably within the next 20, 25 years."
David Madison can be reached at david@cowboystatedaily.com.
