ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – Neighbors in the Bonsack community are pleading for help after they said a Norfolk Southern railroad crossing has turned into a dangerous situation.
They said the crossing by Layman Road is the only way in and out of town for them and when a train comes through sometimes it can be stopped for hours.
Neighbor Aimee McAllister said over the past couple of months it’s increased frequency happening sometimes multiple times a week.
“My stepson has been late for work because there’s a train stuck on the tracks,” McAllister said. “My daughter has been late for school because her bus can’t get through.”
McAllister said she worries about what this would do to someone in an emergency, noting that there is a pregnant woman living in the area.
“Very scary to know that there could be a medical emergency, there could be a house fire, and there’s no way for emergency personnel to even get in the neighborhood,” McAllister.
10 News reached out to Norfolk Southern Communications who replied with the following statement:
“We make every effort to avoid inconveniencing communities with a stopped train. Trains have to stop for a number of reasons, including congestion on the tracks or in yards, coordinating traffic with other railroads, federally-mandated crew rest time, power outages affecting train signal devices, or mechanical issues. Our goal is to keep our trains moving safely and the teams within our Network Operations Center make every effort to minimize such instances.”
Norfolk Southern
They also encourage people to call the Police Communications Center with any crossing issues at 1-800-453-2530.
Neighbors said they’ve reached out to Norfolk Southern, VDOT, and other agencies trying to get the issue resolved.
“It’s not acceptable, it’s not an inconvenience anymore, it’s a matter of safety,” McAllister said.