There is a new effort underway to identify rail crossings that are causing the most delays and headaches for drivers. The Federal Railroad Administration recently unveiled a website for the public to report blocked rail crossings.
“FRA expects that collecting this data will help us identify where chronic problems exist and better assess the underlying causes and overall impacts of blocked crossings – locally, regionally and nationwide,” said FRA administrator Ronald L. Batory said.
According to the FRA’s Blocked Crossing Incident Reporter, 262 complaints related to Illinois rail crossings have been submitted since December.
The Illinois Commerce Commission collects similar information about blocked rail crossings and said it can work with the FRA to find possible solutions.
“We’ll continue to work with our legislators and other federal agencies to try and address this safety problem,” said ICC Rail Safety Program Administrator Brian Vercruysse.
NBC 5 Investigates has previously reported issues about trains blocking emergency vehicles and school buses.
In 2017, NBC 5 Investigates found that drivers across the Chicago area waited 7800 hours a day at blocked rail crossings.
