THE PROBLEM
Blocked Railroad Crossings: A Growing Challenge for Communities
Blocked railroad crossings disrupt traffic, delay emergency response, and affect communities every day. Better information starts with understanding when and how often they happen.
Traffic Congestion and Delays
When a train blocks a roadway crossing, traffic can back up quickly, especially where drivers have few alternate routes. Longer or unpredictable blockages can disrupt daily commutes, school transportation, local businesses, and traffic flow well beyond the crossing.
Emergency Response Delays
A blocked crossing can create a much more serious problem when police, fire, or EMS vehicles need to get through. Without real-time information on whether a crossing is blocked, emergency responders may reach a crossing only to find they need to wait or reroute.
Safety Concerns
Extended or frequent blockages can also create safety concerns for drivers and pedestrians. Frustrated motorists may attempt unsafe turns or alternate routes, while pedestrians may be tempted to cross between or around stopped rail cars.
In 2024, more than 26,000 reports of blocked crossings were submitted to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)—a clear sign of how widespread and persistent the problem has become. Yet there is no national system for tracking or addressing these blockages, leaving local governments with limited data and few tools to respond effectively.
COMMON CAUSES
What Causes Railroad Crossings to Stay Blocked?
Railroad crossings can become blocked for many reasons, and the length of a blockage isn’t always predictable. A train may be moving through the crossing normally, slowing as it approaches a rail yard or terminal, or stopped altogether due to rail traffic, switching operations, crew changes, mechanical issues, or other operational needs.
Longer trains can also mean longer wait times, particularly in communities with multiple closely spaced crossings. In some cases, a single train can block several roadway crossings at the same time, affecting traffic across a much larger area.
For drivers, emergency responders, and local agencies, the challenge is often not simply that a crossing is blocked — it’s not knowing when it became blocked, how long it will remain blocked, or when it has cleared. That lack of real-time information can make it difficult to choose an alternate route or respond effectively when every minute matters.
THE CHALLENGE
Why Are Blocked Railroad Crossings Difficult for Communities to Address?
Knowing a crossing causes problems is not the same as having a practical way to solve them.
State and local governments cannot regulate how long a train occupies or blocks a crossing because federal authority governs railroad operations. The most permanent alternatives—eliminating a crossing by constructing an overpass or underpass—typically cost $10 million to well over $100 million and can take five to eight years to plan fund, design and build.
In the meantime, communities must manage daily congestion, emergency-response delays and safety concerns without reliable access to railroad schedules or operating systems. Freight movements change with real-world conditions, making it difficult for transportation agencies, dispatchers, first responders and motorists to anticipate when a crossing will be unavailable.
Traditional monitoring systems can also require extensive engineering, utility connections or coordination with railroad infrastructure. Communities therefore need an independent, rapidly deployable source of real-time and historical crossing data—one that helps them manage disruptions today while building the evidence needed to prioritize and fund long-term improvements.
OUR SOLUTION