ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – Frustration is growing for one neighborhood in Roanoke County as trains continue to block neighbors from coming and going to their homes off Layman Road.
Neighbors said Norfolk Southern trains sometimes stop on the tracks for hours in some cases multiple days a week.
Former neighbor Tara Scott said trains blocking the flow of traffic has been an issue for at least a decade since she moved to the neighborhood in 2013 and left in 2022, but she said it has seemed to become more frequent.
“We were told, ‘Well, either the engineer has reached his time for being on the engine, or there’s a mechanical issue, or the yards are full, there’s a train ahead,’” Scott said.
According to Virginia law, it’s illegal for a train to block a roadway for more than five minutes unless it’s due to a breakdown, mechanical failure, or emergency.
Virginia’s State Corporation Commission said on Tuesday that they work in partnership with the Federal Railroad Administration to enforce the Code of Federal Regulations.
They told 10 News they have received a number of complaints over the years from people near the Norfolk Southern crossing, one of those even coming last week.
The SCC said they’re reaching out to the railroad to collect information on last week’s complaint.
Norfolk Southern said in a statement on Monday that they make every effort to avoid inconveniencing communities.
“They should know those issues in advance,” Scott said. “They should make arrangements so that they don’t block a crossing that’s the only access to a neighborhood.”
Scott said the blockages are more than an inconvenience, they are a safety issue.
“I personally experienced a time when I needed EMS,” Scott said. “My husband had a massive heart attack in 2022, and we needed EMS service there, and it did cross my mind at that time. I hope there’s not a train there.”
The SCC said residents have several ways to report a blocked crossing to them so that they can investigate.
Individuals can call (804) 371-9980 or 1-800-552-7945 and follow the prompts, or fill out the form on the SCC’s URS website https://www.scc.virginia.gov/pages/Railroad-Regulation and send it to VARailSafety@scc.virginia.gov.