How long do trains stop on tracks

Table of Contents Show

And Then, There’s Trains
How Long Does it Take for a Train to Stop?
How long do trains typically stop?
Why do trains stop on the tracks for so long?
How long can a train be stuck on the tracks?
Do trains stay on tracks?

This post isn’t about railway noise and vibration.

I’ve thought about it, and I cannot decide if it is about rail safety or human stupidity.

We’ve all seen it. The person who weaves in and out of traffic erratically in order to save either a very minimal amount of time, or just has some irrepressible need to be in front of the lane for the next light in some sort of race.

I’ve wondered a lot about those people. They seem to make no distinction if they are cutting off a small car, or a semi-trailer truck fully loaded down.

It’s as if there is some underlying expectation that any of these vehicles can stop for them, taking the same time and distance in order to do so.

And Then, There’s Trains

You may have seen the scenario already. A train is heading towards a crossing…depending on the type of crossing, maybe the flashing lights and bells have come on. If there are gates as well, maybe they are just about to lower. Or maybe the train is just sounding the whistle as it approaches an uncontrolled crossing.

At the very last second, the car that has just woven in and out of traffic decides to take on the train and beat it through the crossing, rather than get stuck waiting for it to pass.

Without getting into what I believe is a whole separate issue of train length and what periods of time crossings may be blocked for, I have finally found a good video from the U.S. Federal Railroad Administration, on what happens when the car fails to cross in time in front of the train.

How Long Does it Take for a Train to Stop?

According to the Minnesota Safety Council, (Minnesota Operation Lifesaver Inc.) “The average freight train is about 1 to 1¼ miles in length (90 to 120 rail cars). When it’s moving at 55 miles an hour, it can take a mile or more to stop after the locomotive engineer fully applies the emergency brake. An 8-car passenger train moving at 80 miles an hour needs about a mile to stop.”

Given the many variables in between those two scenarios, the bottom line is that if you think that the train can slow down in time for you, you are probably in for very rough ride, and quite possibly, your last.

I have spoken to both rail personnel and transportation officials who have had the unfortunate task at some point of attending a fatal accident of one sort of another on the tracks or at a crossing.

The reaction has always the same. A short pause, and a short silence before they speak. Usually few words follow, but it is the expression on the faces of these people that says more than words can ever say.

Think about that before you try to “beat” the train next time.

Stay well, and be safe.

xxx
With credit to the U.S. Federal Railroad Administration and to the Minnesota Safety Council

Elliot Njus | The Oregonian/OregonLive

rail crossing

A car waits while a train crosses an intersection in North Portland.

(Mike Zacchino/Staff)

A stopped freight train blocked Naito Parkway in downtown Portland for nearly 45 minutes today. How long can trains legally block traffic?

Nobody likes sitting in traffic, but doing so behind a stopped train seems so much worse.

Will it ever move? How long is this thing, anyway? What if I just ditched my car here?

Railroads once had some motivation not to stop where traffic could be blocked, at least in Oregon. But today, railroads are essentially free to stop for as long as they'd like.

Until 2009, the Oregon Department of Transportation would investigate and fine railroads when trains stopped in crossings for more than 10 minutes during the day or 15 minutes overnight.

Such was the case on Feb. 3, 2004, when two BNSF trains blocked a crossing near the railroad's yard in Klamath Falls, one for 34 minutes and one for 20 minutes. The transportation department investigated and issued civil penalties. The railroad sued, turning to the courts to review the rules.

In an opinion written by then-Judge Ellen Rosenblum, today the state's attorney general, the Oregon Court of Appeals found federal law overrides state regulations.

Oregon's not alone in this ruling, and it and other state transportation departments would like to see the law changed.

Rick Shankle, ODOT's rail crossing safety manager, said he sees it as a safety issue. Like the rest of us, police and firefighters get no advance notice a train is coming.

"You have blocked crossing that police can't get across," he said. "Fire, emergency vehicles of any kind, they're also blocked from getting access."

So the transportation department forwards complaints over stopped trains to the Federal Railway Administration, Shankle said.

So the railway administration has the power to regulate stopped trains?

"No, they do not," Shankle said.

In a statement, the Federal Railway Administration acknowledged there are "currently no formal regulations on blocked crossings."

"The Federal Railroad Administration works with railroads and local communities to find solutions when idle trains lead to blocked crossings, especially when emergency access is a concern," the agency said.

The agency's administrator, Sarah E. Feinberg, said in a speech last year that blocked crossings are among the top complaints the agency receives, and she said railroads aren't doing enough to address the issue.

"While I don't have a sense that things are getting worse, those calls are going to Congress and those calls from Congress are coming to me," she warned a gathering of railroad executives. "And there's a ton of scrutiny on this issue."

(Those complaints, by the way, can be directed to the agency's regional office in Vancouver at 800-724-5998.)

But for now, railroads answer to essentially no one on blocking roads, and there's no indication that will change soon.

Only thing to do now is wait.

-- Elliot Njus

503-294-5034
@enjus

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How long do trains typically stop?

Based on an analysis of 8 train configurations travelling at over 110km/h (65m/h), a freight train stops on average in 1848 meters (6062ft) and 77 seconds, and a passenger train stops in 731m (2400ft) and 46 seconds.

Why do trains stop on the tracks for so long?

“Trains may need to stop while waiting for other trains to pass, to cross over another railroad's track or to enter a rail yard. Dropping off or picking up train cars from rail yards or industrial plants is another reason why trains may be stopped on the tracks.

How long can a train be stuck on the tracks?

The state laws vary, but a general rule of thumb is that a blockage cannot exist for more than 20 minutes. There are numerous exceptions, of course, that concern such things as emergencies and when the blockage is a result of something beyond the control of the railroad.

Do trains stay on tracks?

As a result when a train is turning it is momentarily running on wheels that are effectively two different sizes. As the outside wheel's circumference becomes larger it is able to travel a greater distance even though it rotates at the same rate as the smaller inside wheel. The train successfully stays on the tracks!