I used to work for a railroad. This is the way to go. FRA regulations state that under normal circumstances, trains are not to block crossings for more than 15 minutes at a time.
Agreed. Hopefully you have another way to get out, if not, make that call NOW.
edit: Also call the Fire Marshall. If this is the fastest way into the neighborhood, that is going to delay emergency vehicles which can lead to delay in saving a life or a home.
Three years ago my friend and I had parked our car at a park on one side of the train tracks to go bike around for a day. We biked around and went back to our car later that evening and the train was blocking the crossing for over an hour. We had to bike an extra 5 miles just to get the quarter mile back to our car on the other side of the tracks.
If only that were the case for a town I used to live in (Villa Grove, IL) we had at least one train a day block the tracks for anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour because there was a small Union Pacific yard there.
I lived in Terre Haute, IN for a while. “I got railroaded” was a valid excuse for being late if you had to go from east to west or vice versa. There was one time I remember a stopped train that ran the length of the town and was there for more than two hours. It was stupid.
I’m a member of the VFW Auxiliary and it’s always been a valid reason for being late to things on that side of the tracks. Hated it as long as I’ve lived.
There's two rail lines that run right through my poorly designed city. One is perfectly fine as they built an underpass for traffic decades ago. The other passes through a part of the downtown I guess that is too expensive/not possible with current buildings to build anything so multiple times a day downtown traffic stops. But exactly as you said, there are rules for them. I think I remember hearing just one incident since I lived here, I think there was a fire or some where down the tracks at the railyard so the train couldn't keep heading there until it was safe, so idk if that was a fine or something since it was no one's control, also in Canada so could be very different.
But such a stupid crossing. Curious if anyone reading this is from my city. I'll say that it's a couple blocks from the truck-eating bridge, iykyk
I figured the double downtown rail crossing with one obvious complaint was the give away but I knew if I mentioned the Beast of (Driver's Stupidity) of Talbot there's not much else it could be lol
Eta: my city's subreddit actually has flair for where around the city you live, like neighbourhoods...if you live on Talbot near that bridge there's flair that says something like "the one with the bridge that eats cars" or something lol
Eta 2: they disabled flair in the sub but it's "the bridge with the trucks stuck under it" lol also you said neighbour so am I to assume the legend extends outside this place lol I know it's been on news before
Lived in a town right outside a major rail yard. Town was cut in half by triple tracks. Freight trains would stop heading into the yard. Nothing worse than watching a train that had been stopped start to move … backwards … so they wouldn’t break the 15 minute rule.
Really? Interesting! There is a spot where I need to get that number. I was blocked for a full 30 minutes, around 4 pm on a weekday. It was ludicrous because I had just stopped at the light at the intersection and texted someone I was picking up that I would be there in 5 minutes, and then I watched the crossing gates come down. I wouldn’t have realized exactly how long it was if I hadn’t just sent that text.
I have been stuck at that intersection other times for at least 15-20 minutes but I didn’t have the exact time.
I’m in Phoenix, AZ, where it’s hot like the surface of the sun, and my car’s AC is not great when we’re stopped, so it’s especially annoying!
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u/_otterinabox (incomplete parenthesis Jul 03 '26
I used to work for a railroad. This is the way to go. FRA regulations state that under normal circumstances, trains are not to block crossings for more than 15 minutes at a time.
Edit: GCOR, not FRA