VOORHEESVILLE, N.Y. — A federal judge has granted a preliminary injunction allowing Norfolk Southern to begin work on a new crew-change facility in the village of Voorheesville, which sought to block the project.
The Albany Times-Union reports U.S. District Court Judge Brenda K. Sannes of the Northern District of New York approved the preliminary injunction on Dec. 3.
Voorheesville had issued a stop-work order against the project in September, telling the railroad the project violated local zoning, as well as an agreement on stopping trains in town and state regulations on blocked crossings. That led NS to file suit in October on the grounds the village’s order was preempted by federal law [see “NS sues New York town …,” Trains.com, Oct. 16, 2025]. The new facility would support the railroad’s plan to shift intermodal trains to trackage rights over CSX.
The newspaper reports the village has countersued, arguing that trains stopping at the crew-change facility could block three intersections, cutting off half of Voorheesville from emergency responders for up to 30 minutes. The railroad responded that most trains would not be long enough to block traffic and those that did would do so for much less time. NS had previously said it chose the site as the only location where trains could stop without blocking grade crossings.
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Did a quick measure on Google Maps and a 4500FT westbound train could block the two crossings downtown and the crossing at the crew change location. There is a bridge over another road in town, but with clearance around 11′, it may restrict emergency vehicles. A 4000FT train doesn’t seem that long to this Midwesterner, but maybe out east that is more common.