Stuck again!

Stuck again!

Residents fuming as stalled trains cause continuing frustration By Mark Randall

news @ thee veningtimes .com For the second time in two weeks residents found themselves blocked from going over the railroad crossings in Marion due to a stalled train.

On this time, it was for over an hour — and on Christmas Eve.

County Judge Woody Wheeless, who was stuck when a train blocked all of the crossings in Marion on Dec. 12, received numerous complaints when a train blocked all of the crossings in Marion on Dec. 24 for close to an hour as residents were heading to church and family functions.

“I was told by dispatch that the train had broken down,” Wheeless said.

“It was an hour this time that had all of the traffic blocked. There were multiple people just trying to cross the tracks to get to the Methodist church services and a lot of them didn’t make it.”

Residents were left having to use the crossings at Gammon Road and Mound City. The Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad tracks split Marion roughly in half and frequently results in traffic delays for residents. About 50 to 60 trains pass through Marion a day.

Facebook lit up with comments complaining about the excessive delay.

“We were on our way to our daughter’s home in River Trace for dinner Sat.

Sat in line by the courthouse forever, train never moved,” One resident commented. “Turned around and went to Mound City Road. Finally made it, but so frustrating.”

Another resident commented, “I do not rant and rave on much. But having these trains blocking all roadways? Seriously, isn’t it time to start thinking of overpasses for the major intersections between West Memphis and Marion? All I can think of is emergency situations for ambulance services, or for that matter for police and fire issues.”

State law does not allow cities affected by stalled trains to issue citation to the railroads. The only recourse is to send a letter to the railroad and have the complaint heard by the Arkansas Highway Commission. The railroads, though, are rarely penalized and the fine for those infractions is a nominal fine.

West Memphis had a similar incident on Oct.

21, 2006 when two Union Pacific trains blocked five railroad crossings for over two hours. The city sent a letter to the railroad and the Highway Commission sided with West Memphis and fined the railroad $2,500 or $500 for each intersections that they blocked.

Wheeless said he plans to send a letter to the railroad to complain about this latest incident and will be speaking the county’s legislative representatives

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It’s a sight all too familiar to Crittenden County residents — a long line of cars stuck behind a slow moving, or even stalled, train. Many have taken notice of the increasing frequency in which trains are coming to long full stops across major thoroughfares in places like Highway 77 (above) between Marion West Memphis, and along the 1-40/1-55 Service Road where it intersects with Missouri Street (below).

Photos by Ralph Hardin TRAIN—————————–

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in Little Rock about getting legislation passed to impose stiffer penalties.

Wheeless said residents understand and are used to waiting 10 or 15 minutes for trains to pass, but long delays that block every single crossing are just not acceptable.

“I understand the importance of the trains,” Whee- less said. “I understand they have to move goods from Point A to Point B. I live on the other side of the tracks. I understand that if you pull up that it could be 10 minutes. Everybody here gets that. But there has got to be some compromise so that when one of those train tracks are blocked for an extended amount of time that they are required to break that train down and open one of these crossings.”

“I understand the importance of the trains… everybody here gets that… but

there has got to be some compromise.” — County Judge Woody Wheeless