(The following story by Andrew Marra appeared on the Palm Beach Post website on June 11.)
PALM BEACH, Fla. — Morning commuters and Riviera Beach police were outraged Thursday morning when a train stopped inexplicably on the CSX Transportation tracks for more than 30 minutes, blocking Military Trail during rush-hour traffic.
Police said it was at least the second time this week and the third time this month that a train has blocked Military Trail just south of the Beeline Highway by stopping along the tracks for a long time.
“It’s an ongoing problem. This isn’t the first time,” police Sgt. Pat Galligan said. “And this is happening during rush hour.”
The police department was flooded with calls as the train snarled traffic from about 7:15 to nearly 8 a.m., Galligan said.
City officials have tried repeatedly to address the problem with CSX, which owns the tracks and the trains, Assistant Police Chief David Harris said.
“We’ve had several conversations with them, and they’re very uncooperative,” Harris said.
Gary Sease, a spokesman for CSX’s regional headquarters in Jacksonville, said Thursday that he was not aware of the police department’s concerns but said they would be addressed.
“You can expect action on this,” he said. “We are going to investigate… and we will be in touch with the local authorities.”
Police say they are not sure why the train often stops on the tracks during heavy traffic, but they think workers may be loading and unloading scrap metal from a nearby facility.
Sease said if a train is going to be stopped for a long time, the train crew should separate train cars so major road crossings are not obstructed.