Freight trains still blocking Rocky Mount cemetery a year after CSX promised to take action

Some families in Rocky Mount say CSX freight trains are blocking the only entrance to the Marks Chapel cemetery for hours at a time, preventing them from mourning their loved ones.

WRAL News first brought the concern to the company’s attention in February 2022, but some people in the church community say no action appears to have been taken.

“It’s very depressing and upsetting to know that you can’t get across to visit your loved one,” Kim Crandall told WRAL News.

Crandall’s son Javonta was murdered last year in Rocky Mount. He was buried in their family’s plot at Marks Chapel cemetery, and every other day, his mother has tried to visit his gravesite.

But Crandall said half the time, something has been standing in the way.

“The train tracks,” she said. “There’s only one entrance, and they continue to block that.”

In 2021, rail company CSX built its Carolina Connector intermodal terminal nearby, shutting off one of the two access roads to the cemetery.

The only remaining entrance is crossed by tracks that the trains use to wait for the terminal, causing issues with access to the cemetery.

“Sometimes, the trains stay on the track for three hours,” Crandall said. “You have to leave and come back, and sometimes when you come back that second time you still can’t get across.”

Crandall said for months, her family members have been blocked from mourning – or in some cases trapped on the cemetery side – for hours at a time.

“It has sent me in a downward spiral before,” Crandall said. “And, it’s very upsetting.”

In February 2022, CSX told WRAL News it would fix the issue with a new policy.

“Going forward, if a train is blocking cemetery access for an extended period, CSX crews will break the train to ensure access is not impaired,” a CSX spokesperson said in 2022.

But Crandall said for the past 10 months, that hasn’t happened.

“I don’t know who to start with in this process, but I would just like to see something done,” she said.

WRAL News reached out to CSX again this week, asking the company if they ever implemented the promised policy of breaking apart the trains to allow cemetery access.

Also, WRAL News asked the company if it had considered developing another way in and out of the cemetery.

On Wednesday, a CSX spokesperson replied saying the company had received our inquiry and was looking into the issue.

Some families said it should be a simple fix.

“If you have to block that entrance, take the cars apart,” Crandall told WRAL News. “Leave space for the cars to come across the track.”