Long trains

As reported in a GAO study, according to one Class I railroad, the percentage of trains more than 10,000 feet long has increased from less than 3 percent in 2017 to more than 25 percent of trains in 2021.

Iowa DOT page regarding blocked crossings

In Iowa: Amputees sue CN, say rail carrier creates danger

In Missouri: Stopped trains block roadways, emergency responders

In Oklahoma: Man dies of heart attack after train fails to clear crossing

In Tennessee: Man dies after train blocks ambulance route

In Michigan: Blocked train crossing causes potentially deadly delays

In Arkansas: First responders discuss plan for blocked RR crossings

In Texas: Community seeks action from UP after baby’s life lost

In Texas: Crossings near BNSF yard frequently blocked

In California: Girl killed when stopped train begins moving

In Georgia: Emergency crews have to take 35-minute detour when crossing blocked

In West Virginia: Community ‘tremendously concerned’ about frequency of blocked crossings

In Virginia: How to properly report blocked crossings

ProPublica survey: Do blocked RR crossings endanger your community?

Calls to action

• Iowa’s Legislature has a bill before it (H.S.B. 88) that can stop Iowans from encountering the unsafe conditions caused by long trains blocking crossings due to carriers’ Precision Scheduled Railroading scheme. Please support TRAIN LENGTH REGULATION in Iowa and keep rail crossings clear and our communities connected!
• Encourage the Iowa Attorney General’s Office to support the state of Ohio’s case against CSX Railroad in front of the U.S. Supreme Court to hold carriers accountable for the long wait times at blocked rail crossings.
• Attorney Larry Mann’s legal filing concerning long trains and blocked crossings.

Links

• Kansas City Star – ‘They Just Don’t Care,’ (Mike Hendricks)
• FRA Blocked Crossing Reports
• FRA fact sheet on blocked crossings
• Coalition Against Longer Trains (Twitter)
• Fight For Two Person Crews (Facebook)