Train Separated After Blocking Oologah Road For Days

People in Oologah say they’re tired of waiting on trains, especially after one train that was blocking a road didn’t move for nearly a week.

Union Pacific says the train cars were stopped for routine maintenance.

On Monday, crews separated the train cars to allow traffic to finally pass through.

People in town say this is a recurring problem and is unacceptable.

It is not uncommon to see trains crossing 390 Road in Oologah, but neighbors say the real problems happen when the trains stop. A stopped train blocked the intersection for six days, before the railroad finally moved it on Monday afternoon.

“It was just sitting there,” said Chrystal Antao.

“It’s very aggravating,” declared Stacy Cartwright.

In addition to that problem, the guard gates were down, activating the lights and bells at the intersection the whole time.

“I don’t have a problem with the train being on the track,” said Cartwright.  “Just don’t block the intersections.”

“We expect a little inconvenience, but major interference in the day-to-day life of the community is unacceptable,” stated Antao.  “It should just be an easy road to school.  It about doubled the commute for me.”

A Union Pacific spokesperson says they had a work train in the area for routine maintenance. When asked why it took so long to address the problem, the company released a statement, saying “It was a mistake on our part.  We’ll work hard to keep it from happening again, and I apologize for the inconvenience.”

Police say there was also a bomb threat against the train over the weekend.  They say that threat is still under investigation.