Officials: Stopped trains a problem in northeast Indiana

A new local push is underway to try to get railroad companies to take notice that local cities and towns have hit their limit when it comes to trains stopped across rail crossings.

Crossings in New Haven have been the most recent targets for violations, bringing Allen County into the fray with DeKalb County, which has a stack of pending tickets against a railroad company.

Although New Haven and Allen County police have issued tickets occasionally throughout the years in the city, the beginning of May saw a slew of violations.

Fifteen tickets were filed by the Allen County and New Haven police departments against Norfolk Southern from May 4 to 8, according to court records.

Tickets are issued when trains block crossings for more than 10 minutes, a violation of Indiana law that carries up to a $500 fine upon conviction.

“We have received some complaints, and we have been watching for these types of violations,” New Haven Police Chief Stephen Poiry said.