MML #4 – Officials Learn Lessons of Michigan’s 4,800 Railroad Crossings
(Crystal A. Proxmire, April 4, 2024)
Lansing, MI – There are 4,800 railroad crossings across the state of Michigan, each one inspected and maintained with the care of MDOT’s Office of Rail Safety.
Kristian Foondle is the Rail Safety Manager for the Office. He and Grade Crossing Program Analyst Alexis Louth spoke at the recent Michigan Municipal League Capital Conference, sharing with officials from across the state the importance of railroad crossing safety, and other things officials (and the public) may not put much thought into beyond the moments of sitting at crossings waiting for a train to pass.
REDUCING CRASHES
In 1976 there were 635 crashes with vehicles and trains in Michigan, nearly two per day. There were 32 fatalities.
Over the decades, investment in safety features has led to a 90% reduction in collisions.
In recent years the average has been 40 crashes per year and two fatalities.
“We continue to drive that number down,” Foondle said. “In 2018 there were zero fatalities for the first time ever in Michigan’s history.” He noted that even before cars there were crashes, such as the 1805 fatality involving a person on a horse.
Blinking red lights, and the familiar “ding, ding, ding” sound as the red and white striped cantilevers come down across a road when a train approaches are the most recognizable safety features. The train’s horn also serves as a warning of its approach.
Excluding pedestrian crossings along trails, and inactive crossing, there are 4,400 active crossings. 2,100 of them do not have lights and gates. Adding lights and gates to a crossing costs about $405,000.
Another feature of crossings that are not as well-known are the little blue signs that every crossing must have. The sign gives the crossing number, as well as the emergency phone number that people can use to alert the railroad about problems. If a vehicle or some other obstruction is on the track, people are asked to call 911 as well as the number on the sign so that any approaching train can be stopped safely in advance.
Calling both is important. Foondle shared a story that could have had a more tragic ending. On Nov. 16 in Berrien County there was a vehicle that had gotten stuck on the track. The driver had called 911, and the police dispatcher used location to identify the line and contact CXS railroad. However the vehicle was actually on a nearby Amtrak line. Had anyone known to check for the blue sign, they would have seen it was an Amtrak line and been able to notify them to stop their trains. However because that did not happen, a passenger train derailed after striking the vehicle and the tow truck that was also on the tracks. There were 200 passengers aboard the train, and six were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Blue signs are at every crossing giving a location, the railroad company, a location code, and a contact number.
INSPECTIONS
Having a vehicle or object on the tracks is not the only danger. The crossings themselves can become damaged over time, with boards or metal sheeting at risk for becoming dislodged and interfering with the wheels or undercarriage of the locomotives as they roll through.
A small team of experts is tasked with visiting and inspecting each crossing in the state, doing about half of them each year. If concerns are reported at a crossing they will of course inspect that promptly as well.
REPAIRS AND UPGRADES
MDOT’s Office of Rail Safety does 20-25 project per year for repairs and safety upgrades. There is also $3 million available in Local Grade Crossing Program Surface Funding to road agencies, usually to update crossings as part of larger construction projects. About 100 agencies apply each year, and the Office looks for 40-45 projects with the biggest safety needs
UNNECESSARY CROSSINGS
One possibility for municipalities to consider is whether they need as many crossings as they do. For example if a city has several streets in a row that cross the tracks, they may want to consider removing a crossing and making the street have dead ends at the track. This can reduce costs of maintenance, and reduce the number of potential impact points. It can also change traffic patterns. For example, closing a crossing in a residential neighborhood can push vehicles onto main roads, providing neighbors with less traffic on their street. When considering such plans, they must ensure that the change will not hurt emergency response capabilities.
Another place officials should look for potential closures is on abandoned rail lines, usually in industrial areas.
It may seem harmless leaving abandoned tracks in place, but Foodle said there is a concern that people who regularly cross tracks they know are not in use can foster a false sense of safety at all railroad crossings. People stopping at unused tracks is a cause of rear-end collisions. There is also the potential for wear and tear on vehicles. A smooth roadway is more pleasant, and safer. Plus there is funding available that road agencies can apply for specifically for these type of removals.
LONG WAITS
An obvious concern across the state is that of long wait times at railroad crossings. It’s particularly challenging for communities like Ferndale which are near rail yards. There drivers on both Hilton and 9 Mile either sit for sometimes as long as an hour or more, or must take a route to 8 Mile or to the I-696 service drive, both of which have underpasses. Pedestrians have a particular challenge, and there have even people who have risked their lives by climbing across between cars. The city even has two fire stations because of train delays – one on each side of the tracks.
Previously laws governed the length of time a train could block a roadway. However in 1999 CXS sued the City of Plymouth over the number of tickets police were issuing. The District Court determined that requiring expediency was an unnecessary restriction of interstate commerce, so now trains may stay in the intersection without consequence.
The Federal Railroad Administration is the agency that oversees most railroad concerns, including complaints of blocked crossings.
STATE FUNDING FOR OVER/UNDER PASSES
One solution, albeit an expensive one, is to build overpasses and underpasses for vehicles and pedestrians to go over or under the tracks. This is called grade separation. The City of Monroe has recently been approved for funding to do just that, with construction beginning this year.
QUIET ZONES
Another topic officials wanted to know more about was Quiet Zones. This also is not an MDOT function, but Foondle was able to share that the FRA makes the final decision when a community requests to be a Quiet Zone. This means that train does not whistle as it approaches crossings, unless there is a safety reason for it. Municipalities must meet other safety guidelines to make up for the loss of the auditory warning. Communities that want to request a Quiet Zone can find more information on the FRA website’s Quiet Zone page.
CONSTRUCTION PROJECT PLANNING
A topic that is in the MDOT Office of Rail Safety purview is that of working with municipalities to plan for construction projects that include railway crossings. Sometimes cities plan for projects and try to add in the railroad crossing almost as an afterthought. There are even those who disregard the crossing completely, paving as close as they are allowed to the tracks on each side and making no changes to the track area, which can end up causing less than smooth transitions for drivers, and long term problems for the road or crossing.
Louth is one of the MDOT team that helps work with road agencies on successful projects. She said they should contact the Office for any project within 250 feet of a crossing. And that reaching out should be done 18-24 months before a road project, and 36-48 months before a pathway project.
NEW SYSTEM
The other topic of importance to local officials is that the Office is working on adding data to their new software system. The system integrates a number of key facts across the state for each crossing, including traffic counts, school bus usage, and emergency routes.
As they build up the database of info, they are reaching out to municipalities for that info.
Those wanting to learn more can check out the MDOT Office of Rail Safety website.
This story is part of a series of stories from the Michigan Municipal League Capital Conference which took place in Lansing on March 12-13. Learn more about MML at https://mml.org/. Read more Oakland County Times stories from MML trainings and conferences here.
