According to families that live on McCormick Road, they are sometimes blocked from entering or leaving their neighborhood for up to six hours at a time by trains that cross the tracks at the neighborhood’s entrance.

Lindsey and Janice Williams have lived in the neighborhood for 15 years and say that if they had known how bad the issue would be, they would never have purchased their home.

According to the family, the issue is not trains passing through the area, but rather trains that stop and wait for clearance to move along and can be on the tracks for hours without any movement.

Lindsey Williams said that the track is blocked at average of five times a week for more than 30 minutes by a train that is not moving. But the blockages have lasted as long as six hours, according to Williams.

Lindsey Williams works for the sheriff’s office and said the delays have sometimes made him late for work. He also expressed concerns that during those times that the train is stopped, emergency personnel can not get to residents for a medical emergency and there are older residents as well as at least two special needs children in the neighborhood.

After hearing the complaints from residents and first responders, Gardendale Mayor Stan Hogeland contacted the railroad and asked that they come talk to residents and city officials and try to find a resolution.

CXS Supervisor Bobby Franklin said he was working on resolutions, including requiring the trains to stop short of the road if they are not cleared to proceed. The railroad is also working on an extension of the line that will give trains a longer area to wait that will not block the flow of traffic. While officials work to resolve the issues, Hogeland said that residents who are stuck at the intersection for longer than 30 minutes or by a train that is not moving through should contact the Gardendale Police dispatch to let them know that traffic cannot get through. The dispatch is then instructed to let Hogeland and the railroad officials know.