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Locust Street Crossing

The pedestrian railroad crossing at 25th and Locust Streets is a small yet vital piece of Fitler Square’s infrastructure; the crossing allows pedestrians and bikers passage from the neighborhood onto the Schuylkill River Trail, a popular outdoor destination for locals and tourists alike. The trail is used by thousands of pedestrians, bikers, dog-walkers, and more each day, and stretches all the way from Philadelphia to Schuylkill County, with plans in the works to extend the trail to Frackville, a length of over 120 miles. For many, the crossing at 25th and Locust is the most convenient way to access the trail, but recently, the crossing has been frequently blocked by trains which park or idle on the tracks for hours at a time, making access to the trail more difficult.

The railroad adjacent to the Schuylkill River is owned and operated by CSX, one of the largest rail companies in the country. As reported in the Fitler Focus earlier this year, this is not the first time that Fitler Square residents have taken issue with CSX’s practice of parking or idling trains on this section of the company’s track. Though there are a few other nearby railroad crossings which allow access to the Schuylkill, such as the Schuylkill River Park Connector Bridge, the Locust Street crossing is the only ground-level crossing in the neighborhood. When the crossing is blocked by a CSX train, it may make access to the river more difficult, especially for those who are mobility impaired.

Sharon Gallagher, a media representative for Philadelphia’s Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems, stated that while the gates of the Locust Street crossing are managed and maintained by the City government, the crossing itself is under the purview of CSX. The City government does not track how frequently CSX trains block the crossing because all railroads in the state are managed by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. However, Gallagher also shared that “City Council President Johnson has tried to reach out to CSX to mediate the matter.” The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A media representative for CSX provided the following statement regarding the frequently blocked crossing: “CSX makes every reasonable effort to ensure that trains occupy grade crossings for the shortest time possible. Sometimes, however, trains entering our busy Philadelphia rail yards, serving local customers or responding to certain operating conditions may require additional time to clear a crossing. The Locust Street pedestrian crossing located at Spruce Street is grade separated and provides unencumbered access for pedestrians to safely cross the track. While we understand that stopped trains can be an inconvenience, we urge motorists and pedestrians to always practice safe behavior around railroad tracks.” It is unclear what “operating conditions” the CSX representative was referring to.

As noted previously, the Fitler Focus has reported on CSX’s practice of idling trains for extended periods of time on the tracks adjacent to the Schuylkill; this is a cost-saving measure intended to reduce the amount of safety checks that, if the trains were shut off, would be legally required during scheduled crew changes. It is not known whether crew changes play a role in the issue of CSX trains blocking the Locust Street crossing, and CSX did not respond to questions on the matter. Earlier disputes between the City government and CSX motivated legal proceedings which resulted in the construction of elevated railroad crossings. However, any disputes regarding ground-level crossings, such as the Locust Street crossing, would likely require the involvement of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission in addition to CSX and the City government.

As long as CSX continues to park trains across the Locust Street connector, visitors to the Schuylkill River Trail will have to use the Schuylkill River Park Connector Bridge, or another nearby crossing such as the South Street or Walnut Street connectors. The nearest ground-level crossing is the Race Street crossing, which may provide easier access for those with mobility impairments, though CSX trains frequently block this crossing as well. Although it does not seem that the City government plans to take immediate action on this issue, previous cases of negotiation between the City and CSX have resulted in the construction of new infrastructure, which has improved conditions for pedestrians in the Fitler Square neighborhood and nearby areas.