JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – For years, drivers in San Marco have dealt with long delays caused by trains stopping or passing through the middle of the community. The Florida East Coast Railway (FECR) tracks cut directly through the neighborhood, sometimes backing up traffic multiple times a day — and occasionally for extended periods.
One San Marco driver said the delays have become more than just an inconvenience.
Zach Papuga told News4JAX that just last week, he was stuck at the railroad crossing near the hospital for nearly 40 minutes.
“Last week I was stopped for 38 minutes Tuesday,” Papuga said. “It’s gotten to the point where it’s ridiculous, honestly.”
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According to Jacksonville City Council Member Joe Carlucci, FECR was aware of the problem and was working on a solution. Carlucci said many of the longest delays happen when one train has to wait for another to clear the tracks.
Carlucci said the railway company has recently received a federal grant aimed at upgrading train control technology. Planned improvements include:
- Upgrading train instruments to help conductors switch tracks more quickly
- Improving communication systems so crews know sooner if another train is stopped or approaching from the opposite direction
Carlucci also said the necessary parts have been ordered, and the company is now waiting on final federal approval before moving forward.
On a recent weekday morning around 11:45 a.m., a CSX train passed through downtown San Marco in about three minutes. But Papuga said that hasn’t been the norm lately.
Papuga and dozens of other residents have shared videos of slow-moving or stopped trains on social media, even creating an account called “San Marco Train X” to document the issue.
Beyond traffic delays, Papuga said his biggest concern is public safety — particularly when it comes to ambulances trying to reach the nearby hospital.
“The hospital is right across the tracks here. It’s pretty normal to see ambulances going to the ER with their lights on,” he said. “I can’t imagine what they would do if they had to wait an extended period of time, like 38 minutes. It’s honestly a risk.”
For drivers like Papuga, those improvements can’t come soon enough.
“People don’t build that into their commute — 39 minutes,” he said. “You could be late for work or picking up a kid from school. For that amount of time, it’s ridiculous.”
The Florida East Coast Railway Society, a nonprofit that studies the railway’s operations, also weighed in. The group noted that trains from multiple companies — including CSX and Norfolk Southern — share and interchange traffic along this stretch of rail, which contributes to congestion. They say updated technology could help reduce future backlogs.