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| Washington Post graph from Assn. of American Railroads data |
Their object example: "For decades, those living along Glover Road in Leggett, Texas — a rural community with fewer than 150 residents — wrote letters, sent emails and called authorities pleading that trains stop blocking the neighborhood's sole point of entry and exit for hours. Some residents and a county judge sent letters to the railroad company, warning of a 'greater catastrophe,' including a toxic train disaster."
The community's fears were justified: "In 2021, baby K'Twon Franklin died. His mother, Monica Franklin, had found the 3-month-old unresponsive in her bed and called 911," the Post reports. "Paramedics responded, but a Union Pacific train blocked their path on Glover Road, according to Franklin and a local police report. It took more than 30 minutes for them to carry K'Twon into an ambulance. Two days later, the baby died at a hospital in Houston. Franklin told the Post, "Unfortunately, the delay has cost my child's life."
The tragic events in Leggett are not an exception. "In Tennessee, a man died of a medical emergency after an ambulance crew was held up at a train crossing. In Oklahoma, a man perished from a heart attack after first responders were stuck behind a train at the only entrance to their street. . . . So far this year, there have been more than 1,400 reports of first responders blocked by trains," the Post reports. "Trains have mushroomed in length for a simple reason — to save money and generate profits for railway companies and their shareholders. . . . U.S. railroads have paid out $196 billion on stock buybacks and dividends to shareholders since 2010." Congress is working some solutions: "The Railway Safety Act, which would require railroads to maintain a toll-free number where people can report blocked crossings, advanced this month to the Senate floor, where it will probably need 60 votes to pass. The legislation also would set standards. . . . apply new rules to trains transporting hazardous materials and curb efforts by railroads to reduce their workforces."
Will railroads end up building roads to grade separations where vehicles can cross? "In Leggett, there is a solution to the crossing blocks. To build a short connector road to another crossing, giving Glover Road residents a way out. They could then cross the tracks and drive 15 minutes to Livingston, the nearest town. Or if all crossings were blocked in Leggett, they could take the long way to Livingston, about a 45-minute drive," the Post reports. "Union Pacific said it is committed to working with communities — including Leggett — to resolve issues with blocked crossings. But local officials and residents say that, despite the county and state facilitating land acquisition, the railroad has not made it a priority."
The community's fears were justified: "In 2021, baby K'Twon Franklin died. His mother, Monica Franklin, had found the 3-month-old unresponsive in her bed and called 911," the Post reports. "Paramedics responded, but a Union Pacific train blocked their path on Glover Road, according to Franklin and a local police report. It took more than 30 minutes for them to carry K'Twon into an ambulance. Two days later, the baby died at a hospital in Houston. Franklin told the Post, "Unfortunately, the delay has cost my child's life."
The tragic events in Leggett are not an exception. "In Tennessee, a man died of a medical emergency after an ambulance crew was held up at a train crossing. In Oklahoma, a man perished from a heart attack after first responders were stuck behind a train at the only entrance to their street. . . . So far this year, there have been more than 1,400 reports of first responders blocked by trains," the Post reports. "Trains have mushroomed in length for a simple reason — to save money and generate profits for railway companies and their shareholders. . . . U.S. railroads have paid out $196 billion on stock buybacks and dividends to shareholders since 2010." Congress is working some solutions: "The Railway Safety Act, which would require railroads to maintain a toll-free number where people can report blocked crossings, advanced this month to the Senate floor, where it will probably need 60 votes to pass. The legislation also would set standards. . . . apply new rules to trains transporting hazardous materials and curb efforts by railroads to reduce their workforces."
Will railroads end up building roads to grade separations where vehicles can cross? "In Leggett, there is a solution to the crossing blocks. To build a short connector road to another crossing, giving Glover Road residents a way out. They could then cross the tracks and drive 15 minutes to Livingston, the nearest town. Or if all crossings were blocked in Leggett, they could take the long way to Livingston, about a 45-minute drive," the Post reports. "Union Pacific said it is committed to working with communities — including Leggett — to resolve issues with blocked crossings. But local officials and residents say that, despite the county and state facilitating land acquisition, the railroad has not made it a priority."
UPDATE, June 5: In Hensley, Arkansas, a largely Black village of 139 people south of Little Rock, the Union Pacific Railroad is installing a longer siding to keep trains from dividing the burg, which has only one railroad crossing, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports.
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