(The following story by Gabrielle Finley and Kyle Kennedy appeared on The Lakeland Ledger website on May 8.)
LAKELAND, Fla. — A stalled CSX freight train blocked downtown streets and sidewalks for about 90 minutes Monday afternoon.
Aggravated motorists and pedestrians either stayed put or found alternate routes until a replacement locomotive was brought in to get the westbound train on its way about 1:30 p.m.
The train stretched for nearly a mile from just west of North Florida to Ingraham avenues, Lakeland police spokesman Jack Gillen said. Police directed motorists to Sikes Boulevard, which has a railroad overpass, and the In-Town Bypass, which passes above the tracks.
Some daring pedestrians climbed between the stopped railroad cars to get to the other side.
The incident came less than three weeks after city officials and business leaders met with CSX representatives to discuss their concerns about an increase in train traffic likely to be caused by a proposed freight terminal in Winter Haven and a rerouting of rail traffic to tracks that run through the center of the state.
Lakeland, which has eight to 12 trains run through it daily, could see an increase to 15 to 20 daily.
“This is a concern and not something we want to have to deal with on a regular basis,” Anne Furr, executive director of the Lakeland Downtown Development Authority, said of Monday’s problem.
“It shuts things down and makes it difficult for people to get around.”
Alex Bennett, an employee at Mitchell’s Coffee House on North Kentucky Avenue, said the broken-down train made it quite difficult for some employees to get to work.
The tracks split downtown, crossing Massachusetts, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Florida, Missouri and New York avenues.
CSX officials were not available for comment.