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Catoosa County schools suspends bus route, citing railroad inaction

Staff Photo by Andrew Wilkins / At the Lovinggood Road crossing, a CSX train chugs down the tracks north of Ringgold on its way to Chattanooga on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022. Catoosa County officials say they are frustrated by a lack of action by CSX that’s forced Catoosa County Public Schools to suspend a school bus route.
Staff Photo by Andrew Wilkins / At the Lovinggood Road crossing, a CSX train chugs down the tracks north of Ringgold on its way to Chattanooga on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022. Catoosa County officials say they are frustrated by a lack of action by CSX that’s forced Catoosa County Public Schools to suspend a school bus route. Staff Photo by Andrew Wilkins / At the Lovinggood Road crossing, a CSX train chugs down the tracks north of Ringgold on its way to Chattanooga on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022. Catoosa County officials say they are frustrated by a lack of action by CSX that’s forced Catoosa County Public Schools to suspend a school bus route.

By Andrew Wilkins 4 min read

The Catoosa County sheriff and superintendent of public schools are asking the public to help pressure a train company to fix a train crossing safety issue that’s forced the suspension of a school bus route.

CSX Corp. controls that railroad crossing, and both Sheriff Gary Sisk and Superintendent Chance Nix said county officials have been trying to contact the railroad company since Aug. 9 without success.

County officials want CSX to remove piles of railroad ties and trim foliage so school bus drivers can have a clearer view of Ooltewah Ringgold Road traffic when drivers cross the railroad tracks on Lovinggood Road.

(READ MORE: Catoosa County, Georgia, to add a school resource officer at all its campuses)

“Most cars can actually cross over the tracks and sit closer to Ooltewah Ringgold Road to be able to see a little bit better,” Sisk said at a news conference Thursday afternoon. “But those busses can’t stop there because they’ll be over the railroad tracks.”