As Rail Profits Soar, Blocked Crossings Force Kids to Crawl Under Trains to Get to SchoolFreight train companies have figured out that longer trains lead to greater profit, so they're getting to colossal lengths. Apparently, they're so long that when they stop, they can't avoid blocking one or more railroad crossing.
But communities like Hammond routinely face a different set of risks foisted on them by those same train companies, which have long acted with impunity. Every day across America, their trains park in the middle of neighborhoods and major intersections, waiting to enter congested rail yards or for one crew to switch with another. They block crossings, sometimes for hours or days, disrupting life and endangering lives.
Hours or days.
So, what happens? People end up crossing them because it's a choice between doing that and missing work or school (which may be a source of meals for a lot of kids). They're effectively walls that can kill you.
This video clip is harrowing.The new robber barons are in digital technology, but apparently, you still have to look out for the old railroad barons.