A Simple Sign Could Save Lives At Minnesota Railway Crossings

When driving around Minnesota, you likely won’t have to look far to see railroad tracks. The train is still a viable platform to move goods and services as well as people around the state and the region. 

Most of us honestly take the rail service for granted because we are just so used to it, but that can also be dangerous because we can get too comfortable and do not treat trains with the respect that we should. 

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None of us want to think about there being an emergency with a train, but in the event, there is a key tool that could aid you in getting help as quickly as possible. 

What You Need To Know

The Minnesota Department of Transportation says to look for the blue and white sign that will have important information on it that you will need to convey to emergency services. The signs will provide a toll-free number to call and the crossing number of where you are. 

And we’ve all likely had to wait on the train to pass by, or even to start back up after it came to a complete stop. We can see tracks from our building and from time to time we’ll see the train stopped on the tracks.  

Did you know that in Minnesota trains are only allowed to block public roads and streets for ten minutes? This does not include Duluth, Rochester, Minneapolis and St. Paul- they can have their own regulations for the length of time trains can block the roadways. 

Other Reasons These Signs Can Be Used

These signs are also available if you encounter cross arms that do not raise back up. 

To be honest, I’ve never noticed these signs, but I will start looking for them now. And if you haven’t seen them, you can be on the lookout too.