VIDEO: An emergency train crossing near Hinton, Iowa, and just north of Sioux City, remains closed raising fears of a 20-minute detour if emergency services need to reach the area.
Hinton’s fire chief is now calling on the railroad to reopen the crossing. This crossing is meant to be used when the main crossing, at U.S. Highway 75 and East Main Street, also known as County Road C60, is closed.
But, right now, emergency vehicles will have to wait for trains to pass, or use a 20-minute detour. Trains rumble through Hinton between two and four times an hour, according to Fire Chief Cameron Peirce.
And that’s bad news when emergency vehicles need to cross the railroad tracks owned by Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF).
“It is life or death,” said Peirce. “So it takes 20 minutes to get there (with that) extra detour just to get across again.”