By Steve Kemme
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Traffic is backed up along East Kemper Road in Sharonville early Friday afternoon as a southbound train passes through. The Enquirer/GLENN HARTONG

SHARONVILLE - On a recent weekday morning when it was still dark, Kirk Colyer waited so long for a train to pass at the railroad crossing on Reading Road here that he dozed off in his car.

A police officer's flashlight woke him up. The officer asked him if he was all right. Colyer, squinting from the beam of light in his eyes, assured him he was fine.

"Well, get moving," the officer said. "The train's gone."

But there's no danger that Colyer, president of C. Colyer & Sons Truck Service on Reading Road, will nod off during a conversation about that railroad crossing. The more he talks about it, the more animated and angry he gets.

More than a nuisance to him while driving to and from work, the crossing constantly delays the delivery of truck parts his business needs.

"The trains block every movement of life in this town," Colyer said. "It stops me in the morning when I go to work. It stops me when I go to lunch. And it stops me when I go home."

Sharonville officials and many other businesspeople and residents complain as much as Colyer does about the delays and traffic backups caused by trains.

Sharonville is one of several suburban communities in north-central Hamilton County that have soured on railroads in recent decades, after welcoming them in the 19th century as lifelines for growth and prosperity.

The communities complain about the long traffic tie-ups at railroad crossings and the noise from train horns. Many say the railroads hurt existing businesses and scare away new ones.

Communities take action

Sharonville seeks state funding to build an overpass over the Reading Road railroad tracks so that vehicles can keep moving.

Reading, which is split in half by railroad tracks, is fighting with a railroad that wants to close two crossings. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio will hear arguments in May. Reading officials also complain that railroad tracks discourage most residents from patronizing the city's business district.

Springdale finally succeeded in its 10-year effort to obtain state funding to build an underpass at the railroad crossing on Ohio 747. Construction began two months ago, and the project will be completed in two years.

Glendale, disturbed by the blaring of the trains' horns, has lobbied unsuccessfully to make its a community a "quiet zone."

Many communities throughout Ohio face similar problems. In response, the Ohio Department of Transportation began a program three years ago that pays for building railroad overpasses and underpasses.

"We've seen an increase of train traffic over the last four years because of railroad mergers," said Brian Cunningham, transportation department spokesman. "The rail lines are becoming very saturated, and that's caused more traffic delays at crossings."

So far, Ohio has funneled $141 million to 18 communities for 21 projects. Sharonville is one of eight communities being considered for funding through this program.

Trains sometimes stop on the tracks in Sharonville before going into or out of the Sharon Yard and block crossings at Reading, Kemper and Hauck roads at the same time.

"They'll move a few feet and then stop," said Daryl Flege, owner of a meat store on Reading Road that bears his name. "It hurts my business. People who only have a half-hour or so for lunch can't take the time to stop here."

Sissy Neville, who manages a tobacco shop near Flege's store, voiced the same complaint.

But it will be at least five years before Sharonville gets relief. First the state requires a feasibility study. Then if the overpass wins approval, construction won't begin for two more years. The job itself will take up to two years.

Sharonville has slapped the Norfolk Southern Railway with $1,000 fines when trains stop at the crossings for more than five minutes, said Christine Thompson, the city's assistant to the mayor. But the long delays have persisted, she said.

Greater Cincinnati a major hub

A lot of trains pass through Greater Cincinnati because it's CSX Transportation's largest hub and it's on Norfolk Southern's main north-south artery. Together, the two railroads, which share tracks, run more than 200 trains a day through Cincinnati, said Bill Clapsaddle, CSX assistant division manager. In the past year, he said, business has been very good for both railroads.

"The reason trains stop on tracks is the volume of trains," Clapsaddle said. "It's like I-75 when traffic is heavy."

Springdale's underpass project on Ohio 747, just south of Crescentville Road, will cost $9 million. Motorists say the project is long overdue.

"Anybody who lives in Springdale knows to avoid that crossing," said Mark Clements, a city resident. "When they get it done everybody will be happier."

"We've had numerous tractor-trailers get caught on that track waiting for a red light to turn green," said Springdale Police Chief Mike Laage.

David Hall, a spokesman for CSX, said the railroad tries to address community concerns. But some issues, like the sounding of train horns, are regulated by state law.

"All trains have to blow their horns at crossings unless it's part of a quiet zone," he said.

Reading, which gave the railroad its right-of-way through the city in the late 19th century, is fighting to keep crossings open at Voorhees and Vine streets. Even before this battle started, Councilman Tony Gertz said, the railroad had become a major nuisance.

"I don't want to put the railroad out of business," he said. "But I don't see that they have been any direct benefit to us for the last 30 or 40 years."

E-mail skemme@enquirer.com