Does anyone know the legal amount of time a train can hold up traffic for?

Question

This morning Colborne/York Street London Ontario it was pretty close to an hour with trains back and forth and then one just sat still. I think it is totally disgusting in a big city like London with all the other detours - the stinkhole, I mean sinkhole etc., that trains are allowed to do this. I know they have a job to do, but people have to get to work too. This city needs a BIG, BIG shake up - AND SOON!!

Answer 1

In Chicago, I think that the law states that the train must move within 20 minutes.  So, what would happen is, the train would block a crossing, and every 19 minutes or so, the train would move back a hundred feet or so, then ahead again, and stop.  It would still block the crossing, but the train DID move...

Answer 2

In Indiana it's 15 min and then the railroad gets a ticket for a whopping $3.50. OMG.

Answer 3

Go by your local Court house and see wht type of regulations for  the city is

Answer 4

GCOR (general code of operating rules) states 10 minutes.

There are so many things causing delays and not all are avoidable or the crews fault.

The situation you describe with different trains bolcking the crossing and not clearing between them is one the could be addressed through the operating officers locally, if it is not one crew or train causing the delay but a lack of coordination between train movements.

people seem to think we block crossings out of malice or intentionally. not so, where I live almost every truck has a rifle in the back window, believe me, we dont want those people mad at us.

You are right about some cities needing shakeups, but for the most part they need roads rerouted to over and underpasses, trains are pretty much stuck to running on their tracks, not a lot of choice there.

I remember in Wyoming quite a number of years ago a Sherrif arrested a train crew for blocking a crossing and hauled them to jail. That helped a whole bunch!!

Answer 5

In California, 10 minutes.

But, when the cops take you off the engine, take the reverser with ya...

Answer 6

Petero is right

Answer 7

20 minutes where I live is the time allowed after that the police can write a ticket and fine the company

Answer 8

In Canada, we can stop for 5 minutes.

Canadian Rail Operating Rules (CROR).

Rule 103 (c) states:-

No part of a train or engine may be allowed to stand on any part of a public crossing at grade, for a longer period than five minutes, when vehicular or pedestrian traffic requies passage. Switching operations at such crossings, must not obstruct vehicular or pedestrain traffic for a longer period than five minutes at a time. When emergency vehicles require passage, employees must cooperate to clear public crossings at grade and private crossings as quickly as possible.

Please remember, we also have work to do. also sometimes trains will come apart, go into emergency etc. which means maybe having a crossing blocked for longer than mandated.

But most of us do not intentionally block crossings, if we can avoid it.

Answer 9

Rather get your local government to talk with the RR to build bridges! This would help at least on the long run. As far as I know, in western Europe there is no street level crossing at the larger stations-