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New cameras on the front and back of Caltrains won't prevent suicides, but could protect train engineers and provide valuable information for investigators after a death on the track, according to transit agencies that already use them. Caltrain will consider installing the cameras at a meeting Thursday.

So far this year, 9 pedestrians have been hit and killed by Caltrains. In 2010, 11 people died on the tracks. Caltrain spokeswoman Christine Dunn said recent deaths were not the impetus for the project, but the cameras will aid in investigations. 

“It's certainly going to give us more information about what the engineer sees and that includes the fatalities on the right of way,” Dunn said. “Maybe if there's a place where we have an ongoing problem with this, [the cameras] will give us another way of tracking that down.”

Southern California's Metrolink installed cameras on its trains two years ago, after a collision between a Metrolink train and Union Pacific train killed 25 people. Investigators found the train engineer was texting at the time of the crash.

Metrolink paid Railhead Corp. to install cameras inside train control rooms to monitor engineers; it installed outward-facing cameras – like those Caltrain is now considering – at the same time.  

“Any time something tragic happens, everyone wants to do everything they can to prevent it in the future,” said Metrolink spokeswoman Sherita Coffelt. “These are steps we can take to reduce the chances of these incidents.” 

Lieut. Fred Corral, from Los Angeles County Coroner's office, said the coroner uses the recorded videos to corroborate witness interviews and physical investigations.

Corral said, in the case of a suicide, a video record of the incident may protect the train's engineer from potential litigation.

“The families are going to go ahead and get their attorneys, thinking there was some kind of error on the part of the Metro,” Corral said. “It's human nature.”

Caltrain understands the cameras will not improve safety in real time. Even if a person were detected on the track, Dunn said, there would be little an engineer could do.

“Our trains are authorized to go 70 miles per hour and take half a mile to stop,” Dunn said. “The engineer may see them, apply the emergency brake, and still not be able to stop in time.”

Caltrain will consider the $1.5 million project Thursday morning. A state transit security grant will fund the program.

If the project is approved, Caltrain will begin installing cameras on its 65 trains in August.