ATLANTA — People in Atlanta’s Adair Park neighborhood said an idling train is blocking them in.
They said the train is standing between residents and the most direct route to their MARTA station, forcing nearby residents to make a dangerous choice.
"It gets annoying," Jordan Daniell told Channel 2's Justin Wilfon.
Trains will stop on railroad tracks in the neighborhood for hours, sometimes even days, blocking the intersection of Murphy Avenue and Lee Street.
“I know it’s illegal, but I’ve hopped through the cars,” Daniell said.
Residents sent Wilfon pictures of trains stopped on the tracks, forcing walkers to either go through the cars or take a half-mile detour route, which is especially difficult for those in wheelchairs.
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“So when the train comes, if it’s moving or it’s stopped, they’re stuck,” Daniell told Wilfon.
In a statement, a representative for train company Norfolk Southern said, “We can't predict the schedules when customers need to ship goods, there are times when some crossings are blocked.”
The representative also suggested that the city should upgrade the crossing.
Residents told Wilfon they would love to see an elevated crosswalk.
But Atlanta City Councilwoman Joyce Shepherd, who has worked on the issue, told Wilfon that would require the help of the federal government, which owns the tracks.
“I think this is a great thing that I’m going to continue to pursue but we’ve got to figure out how to do it and I say we have to start on the federal level,” Shepherd said.
Residents just want someone to help them solve their train trouble.
This is a problem Channel 2 Action News has seen all over Atlanta.
If it’s a problem in your neighborhood, call your City Council member and your representative in Congress.
Cox Media Group
