Suburban residents across the region often face delays due to train tracks leading into Chicago, the nation’s busiest rail hub. But in Dixmoor, the issue is more than just a minor inconvenience — it’s a daily frustration.

Freight trains frequently stop and park for hours at crossings, blocking traffic and disrupting daily life. Despite years of complaints from residents, little to no action has been taken to address what both locals and officials say is a serious safety hazard.

Steve Bechtel, a longtime Dixmoor resident who lives near 139th Street and Western Avenue, knows the struggle all too well. As a security guard for several businesses in the area, he’s seen the crossings blocked for hours on end.

“I’ve seen them two, three hours sometimes,” he said. “I don’t understand how they can keep getting away with this.”

Dixmoor Mayor Fitzgerald Roberts said trains stop in the village at least once a day, often sitting anywhere from 30 minutes to more than 12 hours. He said a train sat idle for more than 12 hours Jan. 14, starting about 9 a.m., when he woke up, and still obstructing the crossing well past 10:30 p.m., when he went to bed.

“I couldn’t believe it. It’s ridiculous,” Roberts said. “No one is helping us and it’s been an issue for years, but something needs to be done. We need to have an overpass put up, just something.”

William Wong, a spokesperson for the Federal Railroad Administration, said those who are delayed at a blocked crossing can call the phone number posted on the blue Emergency Notification System sign located at every grade crossing to report the issue.

“If a blocked crossing issue proves to be persistent, residents can report it to their local elected officials, who may be able to work with the railroad to reduce instances of blocked crossings,” Wong wrote to the Daily Southtown. “Otherwise, they may wish to use alternate routes when available and feasible.”

But Bechtel and others say they have used the numbers to report blocked crossings and still nothing is done.

While blocked crossings impede residents at crossings on Wood Street and Robey Avenue, Bechtel said the problem is worse along Western Avenue, where tracks intersect the road in the 139th and 145th blocks.

Over the last few years, residents say the problem has gotten worse.

Many residents, especially those living in two mobile home parks between the tracks, have turned to an online Facebook group to share concerns about being trapped between stalled trains with no way to bypass them.

For those that live between two rail crossings on Western Avenue, residents say there is no easy way to get around the trains.

Cynthia Mossuto, a longtime resident of the Smith mobile home park situated between the two Western Avenue crossings, and a candidate for Dixmoor mayor in April, said she has been trapped between two freight trains on more than one occasion.

“People around here leave early because of the trains, but if you get caught in between, there’s just nothing you can do,” she said. “The only thing you can do is sit there in your car.”

Wong also recommended that residents report blocked crossings through the Federal Railroad Administration’s blocked crossing incident reporter web portal. The data is used to help determine where the administration’s resources and efforts can be best directed to help address local blocked crossing issues, Wong said.

However, Mossuto, who has been using the portal for years, said she has never received a response. She said calling the number posted at the crossing has been the most effective way to reach out, though even that hasn’t always guaranteed a reply.

Since the the Federal Railroad Administration began tracking blocked crossings in 2019 through the web portal, 237 complaints have been made in Dixmoor, with 66% reported at crossings on Western Avenue.

Residents have reported stopped trains for up to 12 hours, with one report that claims a train was stopped for more than 24 hours.

In Dixmoor, the portal shows 18% of complaints were made because first responders were observed unable to cross the tracks. Additionally, 21% of complaints said pedestrians were climbing over, under or through train cars to get across.

The remaining 45% of complaints cited other issues such as being trapped between trains, missing work or school, traffic disruptions or detailed accounts of how frequently crossings are blocked in the town.

While blocked crossings are making it difficult for residents to reach appointments, school, work or even access their homes, Roberts said safety has always been his greatest concern.

Many of Dixmoor’s youth walk to school, he said, but because trains frequently block crossings, he’s often seen kids climb over or under the trains to get to and from school.

The danger of children climbing over stopped trains drew national attention in 2023, following a report by ProPublica and InvestigateTV, which highlighted how frequent train blockages forced parents to either keep their children home from school or make the risky decision to cross the tracks by going over the train.

Parents picking up their children from school are also often late, Roberts said.

With part of Ashland Avenue under construction in Riverdale, Roberts said the only way to bypass a train blocking Western Avenue is to take the expressway, driving through Calumet Park, Riverdale and Harvey.

Wong said the Federal Railroad Administration does not respond to every complaint made through the portal. However, he said the agency will take action if they receive a “significant” number of complaints about a particular crossing within a two-week timeframe.

Still, the agency is limited on what action it can take, as there is no federal statute or regulation that sets a specific time limit on how long trains can block grade crossings, Wong said.

The most complaints on the portal were reported for CSX trains, with the remainder from the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad Company, the other railroad that operates on the tracks that intersect in Dixmoor.

smoilanen@chicago tribune.com