Train gate malfunctions vex drivers, emergency personnel in Des Plaines

Gates are down.

Red lights are flashing.

But there's no train to be seen.

This is the aggravating scene at least once a day in Des Plaines on average.

This suburb has a whopping 33 grade crossings, which manage to keep drivers agitated enough when a train actually is coming.

Who hasn't driven through the city without getting stopped by a train?

More Coverage Excel Spreadsheet Complete list of gate malfunctions from April '06 to April '07 (xls)

But when a gate malfunctions, drivers' aggravation is exacerbated.

Police are called to the scene when a malfunction is reported to help keep traffic flowing.

Officers manually lift the gate -- and lower it again if a train is coming, police Cmdr. Tim Veit said.

"You can't just prop the gates and walk away. You have to stay there," Veit said.

Using information from police calls, city officials took a scientific log of the gate malfunctions. With its extensive report, Des Plaines intends to pressure the railroads to update their systems to avoid further problems.

Officials presented their case last summer to the Illinois Commerce Commission, the state agency that monitors railroads. There has been no response so far.

Improvement is important to a city divided by train tracks and facing a projected increase in rail traffic in the coming decades.

"It's only going to get worse," City Attorney David Wiltse said.

A 2006 study commissioned by the city found Des Plaines emergency personnel must wait 2,476 minutes each year, or more than 41 hours, due to trains.

With railroads expected to add more freight over the next 15 years, that will mean even more delays for Des Plaines paramedics and firefighters.

By 2020, fire officials will be stuck waiting for trains a total of 92 hours every year, the study says.