Hate Fort Collins Train Traffic? City Says to Report It Online

Getting stopped by the train is just part of living in Fort Collins. It's a headache for sure (good thing 'I'm stuck at the train' is usually and excuse that flies here), but a train blocking traffic for as long as they do in Fort Collins could escalate from inconvenient to dangerous.

Now, the City of Fort Collins is encouraging you to report all train blockages that delay traffic.

According to the Coloradoan, through your computer or even your mobile device, you can report a train blockage to the Federal Railroad Administration through a new online platform.

Because the Mason Street track cuts right through CSU's campus and downtown, recent incidents involving pedestrians attempting to climb over stationary trains have resulted in serious, potentially deadly injuries.

With Poudre Valley Hospital's proximity to the tracks on Lemay and Riverside, you've probably witnessed ambulances and other emergency vehicles with lights and sirens on that cannot pass the tracks. Those incident details can also be reported.

Federal Railroad Administration

'There are no federal laws or regulations pertaining to blocked crossings,' FRA says. 'Therefore, this information is only being used to track the location and impacts of blocked crossings. FRA’s purpose of collecting this information is to learn where, when, for how long, and what impacts result from blocked highway-rail grade crossings... There may be legitimate operating and/or safety-related reasons for a crossing to be occupied by a slow or idling train.'

The Coloradoan reported that the 'information will be shared with stakeholders as a way to address issues, according to an FRA spokesperson.'

If you look at the report data, you can see how many Fort Collins residents have already filed reports; some of the train blockages lasting between 30 and 60 minutes.