- Freight train blocks Davis city, causing traffic backup and emergency vehicle delays.
Yesterday I witnessed what could easily have become a nightmare scenario for the city of Davis. It was early afternoon when a long freight train slowly made its way down the north-south tracks that slice directly through the heart of downtown. Traffic was already backing up—something residents here are all too familiar with. These trains often slow to a crawl, sometimes stopping altogether for minutes at a time, effectively cutting the city in half.
What made this particular afternoon different—and deeply unsettling—was what happened next. As the train continued to block every east-west crossing from Third Street to Eighth, three emergency vehicles suddenly appeared: a fire engine, a rescue apparatus, and an ambulance. Their sirens blared, lights flashing, as they tried to find a way across. I watched as they first approached Third Street, then Fourth, then Fifth, each time coming to the same grim realization—there was no way through.
The vehicles, with their crews ready to respond to what could have been a life-threatening emergency, sat helplessly like the rest of us. They could not go north, could not go south, and could not reach their destination until the train cleared the tracks. For several long minutes, Davis’ emergency response system was paralyzed. When the train finally moved on, the vehicles roared to life and sped away. But the moment left me with a sinking feeling: what if this time, someone’s life had depended on those lost minutes?…