Baytown neighbors tell KHOU 11 that trains are blocking the roads into their community, delaying drivers and potentially emergency responders.
BAYTOWN, Texas — A growing number of residents in Baytown’s Cedar Bayou neighborhood say trains are blocking roads into their community for hours at a time, raising safety concerns.
Speaking to KHOU 11, resident Courtney Bobalik said the problem has become more frequent in the past seven years.
“We’ve seen first responders trying to get into our neighborhood, [situations] where ambulances and fire trucks are trying and they’ve had to turn around,” she said.
Bobalik said many neighbors track the delays in real time through a neighborhood Facebook group, posting when trains arrive and how long they sit idle.
“It could be as little as 20 minutes, but three weeks ago we had one here for 12 hours,” she said. “What happens if there’s an emergency?”
One of those close calls came just last month when Gary Lowry, who’s lived in the neighborhood for nearly four decades, suffered a heart attack at home — just yards from the train tracks on Archer Rd.
“I’m 74 and I got my first ambulance ride four weeks ago, and I was just glad the tracks were open,” Lowry said.
If that crossing had been blocked, Lowry said the other two primary routes into the neighborhood, which also cross train tracks, might have been blocked too.
KHOU 11 News observed the issue firsthand. While monitoring the crossing on Archer Rd., a train pulled in and sat idle for nearly 90 minutes. During that time, several cars and delivery trucks were forced to turn around.
Frustrated neighbors say they’ve contacted emergency numbers listed near the crossings, along with local and state officials, but nothing has changed.
“We pretty much feel like we fell on deaf ears,” said Bob Cowan, who’s lived in the neighborhood for 37 years.
Cowan believes there’s a workable solution and it has been used before.
“They will split the train, break the train at the crossroads,” he explained. “To me that seems like a simple solution.”
KHOU 11 reached out to Union Pacific, the rail company operating the line. In a statement, a spokesperson said in part “we are actively monitoring the crossings in Baytown and are taking steps to keep our trains moving as safely and efficiently as possible.”
Union Pacific also noted that emergencies can be reported online.
The Baytown Fire Department told KHOU 11 their crews were equipped to handle situations where trains were delayed.
“While train crossings are a part of the industrial landscape in Baytown, our crews are well-versed in navigating these conditions if they are delayed by train,” a spokesperson said.
On Tuesday, residents told KHOU 11 they just want to know the problem is being taken seriously before someone gets hurt.
“It’s just been a battle, a community battle, for a really long time,” said Lowry. “And as you can see, it’s probably not fixing to be done.”