PHOENIX — If you’ve been stuck for minutes or hours waiting to get across railroad tracks, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ lawmakers are moving to provide relief.
The length of trains going through the state would be limited to 8,500 feet under legislation approved Friday by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
And while 1.6 miles may seem like a lot, Scott Jones, a licensed locomotive engineer in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, told lawmakers that the two main railroads operating in the state have been running trains that are a lot longer.
What’s wrong with that, he said, is when they stop to do switching operations. That can leave trains on the main track extending out of the yard — and blocking traffic on both sides, he said.
Scott cited photos of a 16,800-foot train, half of it carrying new cars and trucks to the vehicle distribution facility in El Mirage. It blocked some crossings for nearly 90 minutes, he said.
People are also reading…
There are other situations in downtown Phoenix in the rail yard near Chase Field, Scott said, where people trying to get to the ballpark from the south on streets that have grade crossings are blocked.
This isn’t strictly an urban problem, noted Rep. Consuelo Hernandez, D-ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, whose district extends into rural Santa Cruz County. Roads in her area of the state have been blocked for more than an hour, Hernandez said.
“When you can’t get across because a train is crossing, that means you can’t go to work, you can’t go to school,†Hernandez said. “It also means that if there’s an accident, God forbid, the first responders cannot get to that location on time.â€
Hernandez read a letter of support for the measure from Rep. Tim Dunn, R-Yuma, who cited incidents where Fortuna Road has been impassible for up to two hours.
“This road is a major arterial access point from Interstate 8 to Highway 95 going north,†Dunn wrote. “If there is an emergency where Rural Metro first responders are dispatched from the Foothills location and find that Fortuna is blocked by a two-mile-long train, Rural Metro first responders must be dispatched from the city of Yuma, costing a 12-minute time delay in a situation where seconds count.â€
Dunn acknowledged that longer trains may be more economical for companies to operate.
The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure, which bills itself as an independent, nonprofit think tank, produced a report saying that a train of 10,000 to 12,000 feet moving freight between Illinois and New Jersey would cost about $60,000. Splitting the same freight between two 5,000-foot trains, it said, would cost $74,000.
But Dunn wrote that he was not convinced the longer trains are a good idea in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.
“While two-mile-long trains might be an economic possibly in the future, they are not working with current infrastructure in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥,†Hernandez read from Dunn’s letter.
Hernandez, speaking for herself, said there’s also something beyond traffic for her colleagues to consider.
She cited the train derailment earlier this month in East Palestine, Ohio where freight cars filled with a variety of toxic chemicals spilled, creating a hazardous situation.
Some of the chemicals, including five rail cars with cancer-causing vinyl chloride, were intentionally burned off to avoid an explosion. And while there was a temporary evacuation, some residents continue to complain of rashes and respiratory problems.
Federal investigators have said it appears the incident was caused with a mechanical issue with a rail car axle.
But CBS news said employees working the train told them they believe the train’s excessive length and weight — 151 cars, 9,300 feet and 18,000 tons — was a factor in an earlier breakdown and the ultimate derailment.
“I don’t want that to happen in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥,†Hernandez said.
The more frequent issue, however, deals with traffic.
There are no federal laws or regulations on blocked crossings, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Nor are there state laws.
What does exist, Scott told lawmakers, are regulations of the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Corporation Commission which prohibit railroads from blocking public grade crossings to be blocked for more than 10 continuous minutes unless it is moving continuously in one direction. But he told lawmakers that isn’t providing any relief.
“They essentially log in the complaints,†Scott said.
Scott may not be entirely neutral on the issue.
He also is a lobbyist for the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, the country’s largest rail union.
And Scott complained of what he said has been a history of the rail companies trying to save money through things like longer trains and less staffing.
No one from any of the railroad companies that operate in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ came to the meeting to testify on HB 2531 even though it was filed and available online nearly a month ago and has been on the committee agenda for days.
The 10-0 vote, with only Rep. Neal Carter, R-San Tan Valley abstaining, sends the measure to the full House.
After three years of construction, the Maclovio Barraza Parkway near downtown ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ opened Friday.
Photos: Munitions explosion on ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥-bound train in 1973

Torn open by exploding 500-pound bombs, a Southern Pacific boxcar sends a shower of sparks from its blazing interior. Railroad officials said 12 cars were demolished in the munitions blast. The shipment included 2,600 bombs and was minutes away from the town of Benson. May 24, 1973. Lew Elliott / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Citizen

Exploding 500-pound bombs tore a 115-foot wide crater in the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ County countryside, stopping a Southern Pacific freight in its tracks southeast of Benson. May 24, 1973. Explosions continued until 1:15am on May 25. Lew Elliott / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Citizen.

A mushroom cloud created as hundreds of 500-pound bombs detonate during a series of explosions. An Air Force pilot flying nearby estimated the main smoke cloud to be 3,000 feet high. Scene of a munitions explosion on a Southern Pacific RR train near Benson on May 24-25, 1973. Benjie Sanders / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥

Exposed in the light of flames from that ripped a 107-car Southern Pacific freight train, a 500-pound bomb lies in the desert southeast of Benson. Of the 2,600 bombs on the train, 500 were recovered unexploded. The NTSB determined that sparking brakes created a smoldering fire in the floorboards of the boxcar, which ignited the bombs. May 25, 1973. Lew Elliott / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Citizen.

One of nearly 500 unexploded Mk-82 500-pound bombs that lie alongside the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks east of Benson where they were retrieved from the wreckage of a 107-car freight train. Bombs were found as far as one mile from the main crater area. Thursday. May 26, 1973. Douglas Kreutz / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Citizen.

Southern Pacific Railroad track-repair crews quickly restored a 460-foot stretch of track destroyed by bomb explosions east of Benson. Bomb craters were filled, new rails were laid, and the line was opened to train traffic by 8:45pm on May 26, 1973. About 24 trains had passed over the new track the following morning, according to railroad officials. Douglas Kreutz / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Citizen.

Bombs tore a 115-feet wide crater near Dragoon. May 25, 1973. The blast registered as high as 1.6 on the Richter scale in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥. Bruce Hopkins / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Citizen.

Hundreds of unexploded Navy bombs lie alongside the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks east of Benson where they were retrieved from the wreckage of a 107-car freight train. Most of the train's cargo of some 1 1/2 million pounds of bombs went up in smoke in a explosion on May 24, 1973. Douglas Kreutz / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Citizen.

Scene of a munitions explosion on a Southern Pacific RR train near Benson on May 24-25, 1973. The main blast created a crater 115 feet long and 25 feet deep. Art Grasberger / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥

Scene of a munitions explosion on a Southern Pacific RR train near Benson on May 24-25, 1973, as an Explosive Ordinance Detail from Ft. Huachuca enters the scene. Art Grasberger / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥

Scene of a munitions explosion on a Southern Pacific RR train near Benson on May 24-25, 1973. The main explosion scorched the desert for 1/4 mile in all directions. Art Grasberger / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥

Thirteen Southern Pacific Railroad freight cars- 12 of them loaded with 500-pound bombs bound for California- literally were blown to bits during a two-hour series of explosions 15 miles south of Benson. Windows in a home five miles away were shattered by the main blast. May 25, 1973. Bruce Hopkins / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Citizen.

The main explosion created a 115-feet wide by 25-feet deep crater the desert, stopping this Southern Pacific freight in its tracks southeast of Benson. May 25, 1973. There were three massive explosions. Bruce Hopkins / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Citizen

About 500 of the 2,600 Mk-82 500-pound bombs were recovered unexploded after a series of explosions on a Southern Pacific RR train near Benson on May 24-25, 1973. The bombs consisted of 80-percent TNT and 20-percent aluminum. Art Grasberger / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥

A series of explosions destroyed 12 munitions cars and 460 feet of railroad roadbed after a series of explosions on an SP train on May 24, 1973 near Dragoon, Ariz. The blast scattered train parts up to 3/4 mile. Art Grasberger / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥

Southern Pacific Railroad track-repair crews quickly restored a 460-foot stretch of track destroyed by bomb explosions east of Benson. The train was minutes away from Benson when crews pulled the emergency brakes upon seeing the first explosions on May 24, 1973. Douglas Kreutz / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Citizen.
Howard Fischer is a veteran journalist who has been reporting since 1970 and covering state politics and the Legislature since 1982. Follow him on Twitter at @azcapmedia or email azcapmedia@gmail.com.