CN announced today that it has launched a safety website for children to mark the beginning of Rail Safety Week.

The railway created this kid-friendly website, featuring CN's All Aboard for Safety train, Obie, and his friend, Max, the engineer, to help children learn about rail safety in a fun and entertaining way. The online Obie is based on an actual scale model of a CN locomotive, called Little Obie, that has been promoting rail safety with CN Police at schools and community events and giving rides to thousands of children across Canada and the United States for more than 10 years.

Illustration of Obie: http://cnrelease.com/Obie_en.pdf

CN Police Chief Serge Meloche said: "The 'real-life' Little Obie is an excellent safety ambassador, but he cannot be everywhere. We want to reach even more children with our safety messages. Obie's website is a fun way for kids to learn about rail safety guidelines and about why it is important that they follow Obie's Safety Tips. With every click, in every story, activity, and game, kids will find a safety message." www.cn.ca/obie

CN Police officers will also be out in full force, during Rail Safety Week, conducting their annual safety blitz operations at highway/railway crossings in about 100 locations across Canada and the U.S., from April 24 to 30. The officers will be alerting motorists to the importance of safety at crossings and warning them of the dangers of trespassing on railway property.

Focusing its efforts on promoting safety is not new for CN. Every year, CN Police officers make hundreds of All Aboard for Safety presentations and talk to more than a quarter of a million children and adults at schools and community events about the importance of safety and the dangers of walking and playing on or near railway tracks. They also conduct dramatic, high-impact simulations of train-vehicle collisions to demonstrate the potentially dire consequences of being careless and/or drinking and driving, especially at crossings.

In Canada, last year, more than 100 people were killed and about 75 injured in railway grade crossing incidents or while trespassing on railway property. Most of these incidents could have been prevented, and education is the key.

By addressing children directly with the playful, animated characters Obie and his sidekick engineer Max, CN believes it will generate family involvement in rail safety awareness and help reduce injuries and fatalities.

Meloche added: " We need concerned parents, teachers and caregivers to help us reinforce these messages and keep our kids safe."

Visit Obie and his friends at www.cn.ca/obie.

Canadian National Railway Company spans Canada and mid-America, from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the Gulf of Mexico, serving the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the key cities of Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., Green Bay, Wis., Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, St. Louis, and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America.

For more information on the safety blitz locations in your area, see the attached schedule or contacts.

Obie's Safety Tips
- Remember, trains cannot stop quickly!

- Listen for warning bells and train whistles.

- Look both ways before crossing tracks.

- If one train passes, make sure that another train is not approaching on another track.

- Always walk your bike across the tracks.

- Walking or playing on tracks is dangerous.

Obie's Website Fact Sheet

Obie's website is a fun and entertaining way for elementary school-age children to learn about rail safety. The content will be updated regularly so kids will come back time and time again. There's a safety message with every click. www.cn.ca/obie

Check out the different sections in Obie's website.


Obie's Stories
- My story. Discover how Obie was created and how he met Max, the engineer.

- A Magical Day. Find out what happens when two kids come across a magical device, called Gizmo.

Obie's Travels

- Obie's Safety Tips. Learn about rail safety.

- Safety Quiz. Test what you know about rail safety in this fun, interactive quiz, hosted by Obie.

- Obie's Schedule. Check Obie's calendar to find out if he will be visiting your neighbourhood soon.

Fun & Games

- How Safety Smart Are You? Travel the CN rail network in this online board game to learn about rail safety.

- Colouring pages. Put your creative spirit to work and have fun colouring these rail safety pages.

- Wallpaper. Download a fun pattern, featuring Obie, that you can keep on your computer screen.

- Obie's song. Sing along with Obie and learn about rail safety at the same time.

Obie's Club

- Membership. Be one of the first to join the club and receive an Obie's Club certificate.

For Grown-Ups

- This resource centre helps parents, teachers and caregivers talk to kids about rail safety.