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Jul 7, 2010 6:27 pm US/Central
Local, State, Nat'l Leaders View Congested Railway
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
Just north of downtown lies a stretch of homes and businesses that share a common border occupants call frustrating: Railroad tracks.
In some instances, tracks line both sides of the area and are frequent parking spaces for mile-long trains. Employees and residents ask visitors to imagine working in an area completely blocked off by trains with no way out.
"Its frustrating," said Lisa Dieckmann, whose workplace is between two sets of tracks. "Especially when you want to leave and you have to pick up your kids at school and its 6:15 and they're charging you a dollar a minute!"
Employees complain of being unable to leave their workplace until at least an hour after getting off work because the trains block the roads. Children walking or riding bikes into the neighborhood often climb between the massive freight cars to reach their destinations.
Residents blame this on the jammed intersection called Tower 55.
Railroads from all over the country intersect at one point under the highway intersection of Interstates 30 and 35. This extends just south of downtown Fort Worth to the northern portion, where Dieckmann's neighborhood lies.
About 100 trains a day park with their engines running while waiting for the chance to pass through one of the most congested rail intersections in America.
"[Motorists have] got to look at it in terms of like a 4-way stop at I-30 and I-35 during rush hour," said Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley.
Officials are also concerned about the harmful emissions spewed into the air above the congested railway.
"Its doing two things," said Matt Rose, the CEO of BNSF Railway. "One, it's burning fuel. Two, it's emitting particulates."
Those particulates are considered one of the big factors contributing to the area's inability to attain air quality standards within federal guidelines.
Poor air quality not only causes health issues, but forces drivers to use specially formulated gasoline in hot months and conform to daily ozone rules, which warn residents to stay inside.
Riding in a BNSF provided viewing car, local, state and national leaders made the slow push through the busy intersection Wednesday. They could see freight trains stalled down the tracks in all directions. The leaders hope a unified show of support for improvements will help convince federal authorities to kick in $60 million to improve traffic flow.
They hoped this would not just alleviate the congestion, but would expand the rail traffic further.
"This is the Trinity Railroad Express," Fort Worth Councilman Jungus Jordan said as the commuter train rumbled past the boarding platform where he stood. "People going to work, going to Dallas, going to Arlington, going to other places throughout the Metroplex; we need more of that."
But without federal funds for Tower 55 improvements, many officials believe plans for more commuter rail, like the freight trains, are at a stand still.
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