After an incident last week that could have caused fire trucks to be delayed getting to a house fire, state Rep. Patrick Somerville (R-Huron Twp.) is demanding that changes be made for rail crossings.
“Long delays caused by stopped trains have become an everyday frustration for many of us who live in the Downriver region,” he said. “This is not just a matter of inconvenience; it’s an issue of safety and an economic drain on the area. It is completely unacceptable for our first responders to be delayed 20 minutes when lives are on the line.
“I’ve been doing everything in my power to help solve the problem. Unfortunately, this issue straddles county and federal regulations, making it difficult for state government to intervene.”
The incident he referred to wasn’t actually caused by the train crossing, though, according to Fire Chief Ed Gillman, the train didn’t cause the slow response on this particular fire.
Gillman said had a 14 minute response time because of staffing levels, not the train. The Huron Township rig and Flat Rock trucks both passed the track without incident, while the Sumpter Township mutual aid truck was stopped for about a minute.
However, that doesn’t change the fact that trains often block intersections in Downriver communities.