WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. (WSAU) — Officials from Wood County and Canadian National will be in court today over a set of citations claiming that the railroad has been illegally blocking intersections in Auburndale.
Deputies have issued the company 46 citations over the past 16 months, each of which could cost the company $452. CN has paid a number of the tickets, but has now decided that they are going to stop. The company argues that the county is powerless to regulate the railroad and that those tickets should be sent to Wisconsin Central instead.
CN argues that federal guidelines prohibit local governments from interfering with interstate railroad traffic and movement. They argue that the federal Homeland Security and Transportation Departments would have to rule on the matter, rather than the county.
County prosecutors argue that provisions in the Federal Railroad Safety Act allow the county to issue the tickets and that the ordinance that prohibits trains from blocking the same intersection for more than 10 minutes is not unreasonable. County officials say the stopped trains cut off parts of Auburndale from residents and that public safety is at risk.
Wood County Judge Todd Wolf refused to dismiss the citations at a hearing in April. Both sides will be in court today at 3:30 for oral rulings.