Woodland Heights is to a large degree blessed that we don’t have rail lines running through the neighborhood. That said, there are railroad crossings south of Woodland Heights on Houston Avenue, Sawyer Street, and Heights Boulevard. If you transit those routes routinely there’s a good chance you’ll end up waiting for a train at on time or another. Typically when it’s the least convenient.
The city recently launched Train Watch, a web portal that allows you real-time access to the status of various railroad crossings in the city. This gives you a place to look to know in advance if your planned route is currently stopped due to a train.
According to CM Castillo, “…the interactive map gives you live updates on key railroad crossings across Houston, so you’ll know in real time, whether a crossing is open, occupied, or stalled.”
While a convenience for residents, this sort of real-time info is critical for emergency services. It informs their selection of the fastest route to the scene of any emergency.
CM Castillo further says, “The City of Houston is continuing to expand its network of railroad crossing sensors, so stay tuned as even more crossings are added!”
Let’s hope so, because the three crossings closest to Woodland Heights (those mentioned above) are apparently not yet part of the program.
Trainwatch