Fifth Ward residents and officials call for railroad safety improvements after man killed by train

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston City Council members called for safety improvements surrounding the city's railroad crossings on Wednesday.

The calls for change came after a man using a wheelchair was killed as he attempted to cross underneath a train that had been stopped at St. Elmo Street.

Council members said the man was elderly.

The train had stopped for just four minutes, according to Union Pacific. However, residents say trains can often stop at crossings in the neighborhood for hours at a time.

"You are blocked. You can't get to a grocery store. Can't pick up your prescriptions. So what do you do? They figure out a way to get around," Greater Fifth Ward Super Neighborhood President Joetta Stevenson said.

Stevenson said crossing over or under trains and trying to beat them has become part of Greater Fifth Ward residents' daily lives.

RELATED: Man using wheelchair dies after being hit by train in Fifth Ward, witnesses say

"Don't wait until I lose my son, my daughter, to build a bridge," Milford McGrudy told ABC13 in June.

Residents told ABC13 that Monday's death comes on the heels of a fruitless meeting with state and local lawmakers regarding trains stopped at crossings.

"We've got a dead body now. When does it stop?" Sandra Edwards asked.

Union Pacific said trains in the area are coming and going from the busiest rail yard in the state.

Now, they're strengthening calls for lawmakers to figure it out.

"Despite years of community complaints and multiple meetings with city and state officials, there hasn't been any significant action taken on this," At-Large Position 4 Council Member Leticia Plummer said.

On Monday, Plummer and Council Member Tarsha Jackson advocated for tunnels under and bridges over crossings, along with more sophisticated signs.

"I know it's expensive. We always say, 'It's expensive,' but these are people's lives that are in danger," Jackson said.

Citing funding concerns, Plummer said she plans to push signs first.

"Low-hanging fruit is what I want to focus on first," she explained.

The signs would warn people if they're a mile out from a stopped train. Plummer told ABC13 her office is working to get something on the council's agenda in the near future.

"I don't want to hear any rhetoric. I want to see action," Stevenson told ABC13 Monday.

As the city works to bolster its case for state and federal funding, Plummer is asking residents to report trains stopped at crossings to the Federal Railroad Association.

See FRA's response to ABC13's questions below:

"Railroads do not have to report train movements or stoppages to FRA, as there is no federal statute or regulation on blocked grade crossings nor one restricting train length. However, members of the public and law enforcement can report blocked crossings to our agency through FRA's Public Blocked Crossing Incident Reporter, the app referenced by CM Plummer. FRA launched this tool in December 2019 to address an apparent increase in blocked crossing incidents nationwide and to enhance our knowledge about the issue. We encourage citizens to report any blocked crossing experience that has occurred within the past seven days using that web portal, as FRA uses the data collected to target our efforts to find solutions to local blocked crossing issues. The data collected by the portal is also publicly available and can be accessed and downloaded by clicking on the "Dashboard Tab" option in the upper left corner of the web portal. In the dashboard, users can filter the data by date range at the top of the Dashboard page and also set filters for each column in the data table at the bottom.

It is important to note that FRA is unable to confirm the accuracy of the reports submitted to this portal, and the collection is not designed to provide a representative sample or create generalizable statistics. In other words, not every instance of a blocked crossing is necessarily reported to this portal by members of the public or law enforcement, and several states have established their own reporting websites. However, to address possible skewing of the data, FRA's Office of Railroad Safety does account for and eliminate duplicative reports.

FRA has also helped advance infrastructure solutions to the issue of blocked crossings through the Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE) Grant Program, which was established by President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This grant program funds highway-rail grade crossing upgrades, including the construction of underpasses or overpasses, and last year, FRA awarded more than $570 million in RCE Program funding for these improvements. Five projects in Texas received awards, including a nearly $37 million award to the City of Houston for Phase 1 of the West Belt Improvement Project. Earlier this month, FRA also announced the availability of over $1.1 billion in RCE Program funding, and applications for funding are open until Sept. 23.

In terms of the minimum costs railroads are required to pay for grade crossing safety features and improvements, railroads must meet the grade crossing safety standards as established in 49 CFR Part 234. Implementing safety features beyond this minimum often requires the railroad and locality to negotiate the cost that would be borne by each party."

Plummer also indicated the city will need to place pressure on Union Pacific to financially contribute to the projects.

Union Pacific sent Eyewitness News the following statement:

"Union Pacific welcomes the opportunity to engage in discussions to advance public projects, such as grade separations, that enhance mobility and safety in Houston. We have a strong history of investing in the community, including supporting infrastructure projects. Union Pacific also invests millions each year in maintaining and enhancing our rail network in the Houston area."

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