Stopped freight train brings traffic to halt in Anna
Traffic came to a standstill early Thursday morning, March 7, in Anna after a freight train had to come to a stop in the Union County community.
Brake issues on one of the train’s cars was reported to have been the reason for the stop.
The train stopped at a point where railroad crossings throughout Anna were blocked just as people were heading to work and students were heading to school at around 8 a.m. The car was removed from the train.
With crossings in Anna blocked for some time, many motorists made their way to Boyd Road and Sadler Road, which was very busy.
At the same time, a crossing gate on South Main Street near the four-way stop in Anna sustained major damage when it was struck by a pickup truck. The two incidents were reported to have been unrelated.
Railroad crews worked throughout the day last Thursday to repair the crossing gate.
The Anna Police Department reported that the pickup truck apparently experienced a mechanical failure before the vehicle struck the gate. No injuries were reported.
The blocked railroad crossings became a big challenge for Anna School District No. 37.
The district has school buildings on both sides of the track, including Lincoln School on one side and Anna Junior High School/Davie School on another side.
District 37 superintendent Chuck Goforth said that some students and staff members were late as a result of the blocked crossings. The district has about 725 to 730 students and about 85 staff members.
The superintendent praised the work of staff members who were able to get to school on time.
“The staff that was here did a great job,” he said. Goforth said that about one and a half to two hours passed before the final group of students made it to school.