Train strikes gasoline tanker in Franklin

<p><a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a></p><p>A train struck a gasoline tanker Monday afternoon, causing the semi to jack-knife east of the tracks on a Franklin road.</p><p>Franklin police and fire responded to a train accident at 12:13 p.m. Monday on Earlywood Drive, said Chuck Ridpath, a spokesman for the Franklin Fire Department.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]<p>The CSX train, carrying 104 cars, struck the back of the tanker, pushing it off the tracks and causing significant damage, Ridpath said.</p><p>Neither the semi driver nor train conductors suffered any injuries during the crash, which blocked east-west traffic on Earlywood Drive and Commerce Drive into the afternoon. The tank was empty, so only residual fuel spilled from the truck, Ridpath said.</p><p>The train crossing at Earlywood Drive has stop signs both ways, but no lights or crossing arms.</p><p>Franklin Community Schools was notified of the crash in case traffic was still blocked when schools let out for the day, Ridpath said.</p><p>Railroad crossings have been a long-standing issue in Johnson County.</p><p>Communities along the rail lines have sought money to pay for expensive safety features at the crossings, which railroad companies don’t have to pay for. Several accidents — some deadly — have occurred on the tracks in Johnson and Bartholomew Counties.</p><p>Just two weeks ago, a 20-year-old Greenwood woman and Whiteland Community High School graduate died when a train struck her car in New Whiteland. Mourners have started a petition to improve safety at that crossing on Tracy Road.</p><p>Five months ago, two people were killed and a third seriously injured when a train and a sport-utility vehicle collided at a railroad crossing south of Edinburgh, along the same rail line.</p><p>In 2017, railroad companies upgraded tracks throughout the state to allow for more trains, more weight on a freight and higher speeds. But they have not upgraded safety features at railroad crossings. Those changes fall on the cities themselves.</p><p>The Louisville and Indiana Railroad line runs north and south through the heart of downtown Greenwood, Whiteland, Franklin and Edinburgh.</p>