Atlanta – A coffee owner in the southwest of Atlanta says that frequent train stops have an impact on his business and frustrating inhabitants.
“This hinders traffic,” said Kelli Jones, owner of 404 coffee. “We get so many drivers and customers who told us that they had to sit up up there and wait.”
Jones, who has the coffee near McDaniel Street, says that trains often stop at the crossing for hours, blocking access to his business.
“Some of (our customers) call us like, hey, we are about to try it. And we were at the train for ten minutes,” she said.
What we know:
Norfolk Southern, the company exploiting the level crossing, told Fox 5 that they made “all efforts to avoid downside communities with a stopped or slowed train”.
The company declared in an email at Fox 5: “Trains may have to slow down or stop for several reasons, including congestion on the tracks or in construction sites, the coordination of traffic with other railways or mechanical problems.”
Why you should worry about it:
Jones documented train problems on Instagram, highlighting cases where trains blocked the crossing for long periods.
And train stops have considerably affected sales of his coffee.
“It had a huge impact of sales to customers who do not feel like it’s practical,” she said. “With a coffee, you want it to be practical.”
What is the next step:
At the start of the year, senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff announced federal funding to improve security and mobility at 23 crossings in Atlanta, including it. Similar efforts are planned for Cobb county and the city of Cornelia, where the funds will also support a new pedestrian bridge on the railways.
The source: This article is based on the original Rob Dérienzo de Fox 5 reports. Additional information has been obtained via Norfolk Southern and the Senator Jon Ossoff office.