Marty Gordon
Train stoppage in the eastern part of Montgomery County continues to be a problem, and county leaders are looking at several ways that would provide emergency access to affected residential areas.
The problem is not a new one, but recently it has become more frequent.
Stopped trains have blocked railroad crossings like Cannery Road and Cove Hollow Road near Elliston, causing significant safety concerns and traffic delays for local residents.
The Cannery Road crossing has been blocked over a dozen times over the past year due to “track congestion” or mechanical issues. The 911 system recorded as many as 14 emergency calls in recent years where residents were completely cut off from emergency services due to idle trains.
Residents and the community have pointed out these stoppages have blocked crossings, trapping people and delaying emergency responders as the crossing is the only way in or out of the residential area.
Montgomery County has applied for a federal grant to study the blocked crossing problem and find potential solutions.
In addition, under Virginia code, it is illegal for a railroad company to obstruct a public roadway for longer than five minutes. But the law is entirely unenforceable.
Federal courts have ruled that the federal government holds exclusive authority over railroad operations. In addition, local and state police cannot issue citations or force Norfolk Southern to move a stopped train.
Kasandra Jenkins, a communications director with Norfolk Southern said the company makes every effort to avoid inconveniencing communities with blocked crossings.
“Our business relies on our ability to keep our trains moving safely, and that’s always the goal. Nevertheless, trains may have to stop for a number of reasons, including congestion on the tracks or in yards, coordinating traffic with other railroads, power outages affecting train signal devices, or mechanical issues,” she said.
On Cannery Road, Jenkins said Norfolk Southern made operational changes a few weeks ago to mitigate blocked crossings there and residents should be seeing the effects of that over the next few weeks.
The Federal Railroad Administration has an active website, which records blocked crossing incidents. NS officials say only one blockage is shown in the database on Coal Hollow Road.
Today, there are more than 120,000 public grade crossings nationwide, presenting more than 120,000 interactions between train, pedestrian and vehicle traffic. Norfolk Southern said it is taking the time to work with communities, developing solutions together to address the issue of blocked crossings.
Norfolk Southern created a director of public engagement role designed to focus on issues that affect its communities. The director is helping to marshal resources to improve infrastructure and engagement.
“Norfolk Southern has a responsibility to be a good corporate citizen, and this new role will help deliver on that commitment,” Norfolk Southern President and CEO Alan H. Shaw said in announcing the role. “We’re focused on collaborating with communities and their leaders on projects that benefit them, while maintaining the critical role of rail to our national economy.”
Every year, Norfolk Southern partners with communities all over its 22-state network to eliminate redundant crossings and support grade separation projects that replace at-grade crossings and improve safety.
Since 2014, Norfolk Southern has worked with communities and private landowners to close more than 750 at-grade crossings. That includes in the Birmingham, Alabama region, where, in 2023, Norfolk Southern worked to help secure more than $8 million in funding, in addition to a $1.5 million company contribution.
The funding helped to develop a series of infrastructure projects that will eliminate about a half-dozen at-grade crossings in favor of grade-separated options, among other community improvements.
Recently, the Montgomery County board of supervisors discussed a couple options from the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) who has a pipeline that is located near the Coal Hollow crossing. But there was concern from nearby residents that this offering came with a caveat.
MVP offered what they thought was a solution for the crossing at Cove Hollow Road with plans for a one lane crossing and/or a pedestrian bridge. The company said they would only build the bridge if its planned compressor station is built on an adjacent lot near the crossing. MVP would pay for the complete construction over the railroad tracks.
Supervisors would not agree to the proposals as the county has no jurisdiction to maintain the bridge like MVP had suggested.
felt the proposal was an effort by MVP to gain support from county leaders for a controversial compressor station nearby.
Supervisors said they would continue to look at other crossing alternatives including state and federal funding.
CAPTIONS:
1: Coal Hollow Road in Elliston has become prone to train blockages. Photos by Marty Gordon
2: Cannery Road is also a secondary crossing, which has seen its share of blockages by Norfolk Southern trains. Photos by Marty Gordon
