Northwest Jacksonville community raises concerns over trains that leave residents stuck for hours

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In Northwest Jacksonville members of the Dinsmore community gathered Tuesday to discuss what they call a “train problem.”

City Councilman Reggie Gaffney Jr. and Florida House of Representative Dean Black were both on hand to listen to the concerns.

One resident told News4JAX they were recently stuck behind a train for almost three hours. She said she was trying to take her daughter to school but a train did not move until two and a half hours later.

Long-time resident David Taylor said the issue is not only affecting traffic but it’s also stopping emergency crews and law enforcement from getting through.

“Dinsmore Elementary when the kids get out, if there’s a train across the tracks buses can’t go where they need to go. The parents can’t get to their kids. So that’s another bad thing about the trains across the tracks,” Taylor said.

Black spoke about their concerns.

“I came here tonight to learn and to listen to the citizens, hear about the problems and the challenges that the town of Densmore is facing. And by listening, and by learning, we’ll be able to come up with solutions that will enable them to deal with the stresses that growth is causing in their community,” Black said.

Residents said they are all for the new development coming to the area, they just want to make sure the infrastructure keeps up with the growth.

The Dinsmore Committee plans to have its next meeting in June.