M&H RR wants more xings

John Barnhill Mar 14, 2009

  1. John Barnhill

    John Barnhill TrainBoard Member

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    Middletown & Hummelstown Railroad wants to increase Route 322 crossings

    by BARBARA MILLER, Of the Patriot-News Thursday March 12, 2009, 3:34 PM


    Whether Middletown & Hummelstown Railroad should move its passenger operation to Hummelstown -- and be permitted to increase the dozen times per year it can cross Route 322 -- is under debate in Hummelstown.
    M&H Railroad, which provides passenger and freight service along 11 miles bordering the Swatara Creek from Middletown, is allowed by the state Public Utility Commission to make six round-trip crossings of Route 322 each year.

    The PUC petition says the railroad wants to make an unlimited number of Route 322 crossings, and would install cantilevered flashing safety lights over and across Route 322, along with other advance warning lights for traffic.
    M&H will discuss its plans at a public meeting at 7 p.m. March 23 in Hummelstown Borough Hall, 136 S. Hanover St.
    "It's obviously a safety issue," said Michael O'Keefe, borough manager, with the train crossing a number of borough streets along with a busy state highway, which brings traffic to a halt.
    There are now flashing lights on the shoulder of Route 322, and a flag man gets off the train and stops traffic.
    The railroad ends in the area of Duke and Second Street in the borough, and the railroad owns a triangle of land at the site.
    Jerry Kling, council president, said he has concerns with increasing the crossings on Route 322.

    He said westbound ramps entering Route 322 would be past an advance warning signal, and eastbound traffic approaches the tracks from a slight curve. "I think there is definitely a safety problem there," Kling said.
    Both Hummelstown Police Chief Charles Dowell and Derry Twp. police said they know of no accidents involving the train.
    In its response to the PUC petition, PennDOT asked for a field conference, and said more discussion is needed regarding the warning devices that would be needed. Average daily traffic on Route 322 is 21,767, with seven percent of it trucks.

    Council will respond to the PUC petition after the public meeting, O'Keefe said.
     

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