How safe is commuter rail?
In 1994, there were 1,560 commuter rail related injuries and only one fatality compared to 3.1 million auto related injuries and 34,393 fatalities. On a per-passenger-mile basis, the number of commuter rail passenger fatalities was virtually zero per-100-million-passenger-miles, compared to 12.7 for highway passenger fatalities. Through the use of commuter rail instead of automobiles, the public avoids an estimated $1.7 billion in annual costs caused by traffic-related injuries and fatalities.
