An all-too-familiar sight in Lockland, Ohio, as a Norfolk Southern train blocks a crossing. WCPO image
Long trains can keep railroad crossings blocked longer and leave emergency crews with fewer ways to reach people who need help. Communities should not have to wait for a disaster before railroads take that danger seriously.
In Lockland, Ohio, a stopped Norfolk Southern train delayed firefighters responding to an October 18 house fire. Marian Haefner, 89, died after being taken to a hospital.
Fire Chief Doug Wehmeyer said crews normally could have reached the home in about 30 seconds. The blocked crossing forced Lockland firefighters to detour, and the trip took about seven minutes. Firefighters from neighboring Reading arrived first and found Haefner inside.
“We’ve been complaining about this now for 9-plus years,” Mayor Mark Mason Sr. told Fox station WXIX. He called the death unacceptable and demanded federal action.
Railroads must plan train lengths and stopping locations around the tracks, sidings and crossings along each route so emergency crews can reach the people they serve. Nine years of complaints should have brought a solution.
That concern belongs in the review of the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger. Before approving the deal, regulators should demand clear answers about how changes in train traffic and train length would affect communities and how emergency access would be protected.
Make your voice heard. Scan or click the QR code below or visit RailMergerComments.org to explain how long trains and blocked crossings affect your community and why you oppose the merger. BLET and its partner unions are collecting comments for possible inclusion in their filings with the Surface Transportation Board. Don’t wait for a similar tragedy in your community.
