(The following article by Kate Garsombke was posted on the Stevens Point Journal website on July 17.)
STEVENS POINT, Wisc. — A proposal to route trains through Stevens Point, without stopping in the Patch Street rail yard, would close off two streets and allow trains to go faster in the city.
Canadian National Railway will petition the state Office of Commissioner of Railroads this week to make Tamarack and Prairie streets into cul-de-sacs, said Terry Lee, manager of engineering services for the company. The railroad would then use an existing track to route trains that don’t stop in the city through the south end of the Patch Street yard, he said. The Federal Railroad Administration would rule whether trains could travel up to 40 mph along the route through the city.
After filing a petition, the state railroad office will hold a public hearing, followed by a 15-day comment period. The city has no jurisdiction over the speed of the train or the street closings, said Mayor Gary Wescott.
“At best, we can be a powerful lobbying voice,” he said. “We can weigh-in some concerns and work with the state to ensure these crossings are safe.”
Residents in the area, like Laura Bower, said they don’t like the idea of a faster train coming through the neighborhood. Trains entering the city from the west, crossing Water Street and heading into the Patch Street yard, travel around 20 mph, rail officials said.
“It’s a residential neighborhood. There are kids all over,” Bower said.
Drivers often sneak around railroad crossing arms that warn of trains on Water Street, said Dave Suchon, owner of Dave’s Body Shop, 825 Park St. Suchon’s business is next to the railroad tracks, at Park and Prairie streets.
“We can only travel 25 on city roads. How can they travel 45?” he said. “That’s going to be a bigger accident waiting to happen.”
As state railroad officials consider the petition to close Tamarack and Prairie streets, they will evaluate the plan to make sure having faster trains won’t endanger people’s safety, said Wisconsin Railroads Commissioner Rodney Kreunen. A hearing will determine whether closing the streets would make it more difficult to respond to emergencies, he said.
He said railroad crossings west of Water Street could end up with crossing gates with flashing lights.
“When we get up to 40-mph train speeds, that’s a concern to us. You add a little snow, rain, you don’t hear the train,” he said. “We’d like to see it fit with Stevens Point’s needs, but not have any potential for accidents.”