FERNDALE, Mich. – Residents in Ferndale are fed up with the long wait times for trains at Nine Mile and Hilton roads.
It takes about a minute for the Amtrak train to zip through Ferndale, but when CN freight trains go through, the wait is very long, according to drivers.
Some residents said a CN train can block Nine Mile Road for 20 to 40 minutes.
“It has cost me thousands a month,” said Frank Poota, who owns the 9 and Hilton Market. “There are people who want to move out of the city because of that train.”
Poota said he’s complained to the rail company. CN told Local 4 the railway has been working on improvements with drainage issues in the Ferndale yard.
The work has reduced the yard’s capacity, leading to abnormal train movements at Nine Mile and Hilton roads, CN officials said.
That means when the train is blocking Nine Mile Road, the rear is still being loaded back at the yard, officials said. Even though that loading is a few blocks away, it traps drivers on Nine Mile Road.
You can watch Shawn Ley’s full story in the video posted above.