MOORPARK : Deputies Irate Over Rail-Crossing Blocks

Ventura County sheriff’s deputies said this week that they are trying to build a case against Southern Pacific Transportation Co. for allegedly blocking railroad crossings in Moorpark.

The crossings on Moorpark Avenue and Spring Road just south of High Street are frequently blocked for up to 20 minutes by stopped trains or malfunctioning crossing arms, Lt. Geoffrey Dean said. The delays, which are sometimes caused by trains stopping in the middle of crossings and sometimes by crossing arms going down with no train in sight, aggravate traffic congestion in the small downtown area, he said.

It is illegal to stop trains in the middle of railroad crossings for more than 10 minutes at a time, Dean said.

Dean told the City Council at its meeting Wednesday that deputies have written Southern Pacific three times in the past several months about the problem. But the company, which owns the trains and railroad track, has not responded.

Deputies have discussed the issue with the district attorney’s office, Dean said, and want to bring charges against the company. At Wednesday’s meeting, Dean asked residents to document the dates and times of delays to help deputies prepare a case.

Southern Pacific spokesman Mike Furtney said he was aware there had been past problems with stopped trains blocking crossings in Moorpark. “It’s probably a switching operation of some kind,” he said.

But Furtney said he was not aware of anyone in the company receiving letters on the matter.