ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – We’ve been working for you to get answers after people in a Bonsack neighborhood said they were being blocked from their homes by a train.
Neighbors said a Norfolk Southern train has been stopped on Layman Road, the only road to their house, for multiple days a week, and sometimes, for hours.
We’re told it’s been an issue for years but has increased in frequency lately.
Virginia Delegate Sam Rasoul sent Norfolk Southern a letter Friday asking them to resolve the issue.
Rasoul said on Monday that he received a response that read:
“Norfolk Southern has issued special instructions to all train crews in this territory to ensure that Layman Road is not blocked, and to ensure that crews remain aware of this issue. Trains that are long enough to potentially block the crossing are being instructed to wait at another location to ensure that this crossing is not blocked.
This should resolve any issues moving forward. Please let me know if you hear of any complaints at this crossing, and please feel free to share our Police Communications Center phone number with any constituents. That number is (800) 453-2530. Blocked crossings and any other railroad emergencies may be reported to this number, which is staffed 24/7 by officers who are in direct communication with our railroad dispatch center.”
Norfolk Southern
Read our original story on this here.