MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) - Union Pacific has apologized for a train that blocked a northern Iowa railroad crossing for more than seven hours.
The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that the train blocked an intersection in southern Mason City from 9 a.m. until at least 4 p.m. on July 27.
The blocked crossing was initially blamed on a broken-down train, but Union Pacific spokesman Justin Jacobs says the delay was due to replacing the train’s crew, which had run out of hours of service. Jacobs says Union Pacific apologizes to the community.
Iowa law prohibits railroads from blocking a crossing for longer than 10 minutes, but there are exceptions, such when a train is disabled or when it’s necessary to comply with government safety regulations.
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Information from: Globe Gazette, https://www.globegazette.com/
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