Why Trains Block Edgewood Avenue
Anthonyinswasty at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
It has to do with the proximity of our school to so much rail infrastructure.
Last year on the day of the AP Human Geography test, there was a train blocking Edgewood Avenue. Panic set in as many freshmen thought they were going to miss the test. Luckily, so many kids got stopped by the train that the school delayed the test by an hour. So why do trains block students from getting to school?
Why do trains block Edgewood Avenue near Paxon?
It has to do with the proximity of our school to so much rail infrastructure. Paxon is surrounded on three sides by train tracks. To the west of the school is the CSX Intermodal Terminal. To the east of Paxon are the Norfolk Southern and CSX rail yards. And south of Paxon is the main line connecting the yard and the intermodal terminal with other large rail yards in multiple cities.
But why do trains have to obstruct traffic flow at the Edgewood crossing?
The train line on one side of Edgewood has a sharp turn leading to the yard, forcing trains to slow down. Because CSX doesn’t have enough engineers (train drivers), longer trains are necessary to keep goods moving. This leads to the crossing being blocked for extended periods.
According to Florida law, 734.104 “No railroad locomotive, car, train or another vehicle shall be operated to close or obstruct a street or crossing in the City for a longer time than five minutes in a period of 15 minutes…shall not apply to trains in continuous motion.”
Jacksonville has 40 freight trains a day, each one being up to two miles long. Trains stop at the Edgewood crossing due to a lot of train traffic in the yard and the driver having to get out and change the direction of the track switches.
Is there a way to fix the problem?
There is no cheap way to fix the problem. The best solution is to separate the crossing by height, i.e., building a bridge, but that would take a lot of space and money for every crossing. It isn’t likely to happen in our lifetime. One way you can avoid the traffic is to take I-295 to avoid the Edgewood crossing, or just leave earlier so you still get to school on time.
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