The Problem

A Railroad Cuts Our City in Half

This isn't a hypothetical. It's every day in New Haven.

At the Broadway crossing, gates go down an average of 22 times a day. Most closures last a few minutes, but when that happens, parts of New Haven are effectively cut off from the rest.

A stopped train cutting through downtown New Haven during a community event — A stopped train divides downtown New Haven, cutting one side of the city off from the other.

Map of the railroad crossings running through New Haven, Indiana — Rail corridor New Haven city limits The dark rail lines run straight through the centre of New Haven. When a train stops, several crossings along that corridor can be blocked at the same time, cutting one side of the city off from the other. Drag the map to explore; the dashed outline marks the city limits.

How It Affects New Haven

Child Safety

Residents tell us all the time: they see kids climbing through stopped trains on their way to school. One misjudged moment is all it takes.

Downtown Business

Stopped trains divide downtown New Haven. Customers on one side simply can't reach businesses on the other, and every closure is lost revenue for local owners.

Community Life

We can't reliably use our own downtown for community events, because closures routinely split it in two. Traffic backs up at affected crossings across the city.

Why the City Can't Just Fine the Railroad

We Tried. The Courts Said Only Congress Can Act.

Norfolk Southern was cited 23 times for blocked crossings near its Allen County trainyard. But in 2018, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled that federal law preempts the state statute that entirely limits blocked crossings. Every citation was thrown out, and no state or city in America can fine a railroad for blocking a crossing.

That ruling is why this campaign exists. New Haven can't regulate the trains. Indiana can't regulate the trains. Only Congress can act, and right now it's considering legislation that would.

Read the decision: State of Indiana v. Norfolk Southern Railway Co. (Ind. 2018) →

There Is a Way Forward

Congress Has the Path Forward

The BUILD America 250 Act gives Congress a vehicle to hold railroads accountable and fund solutions for communities like New Haven and 3,100 others like it.

See the Legislation →