Why do freight trains stop and block Tennessee streets so often?

Just about every day, a freight train grinds to a halt and blocks traffic somewhere in Tennessee. At times, an entire day (or longer) passes before it gets rolling again. As federal officials ramp up their tracking of this chronic problem, WPLN’s Cindy Abrams documents the concern and explains the factors that lead to blocked crossings. Credits: Tony Gonzalez is the executive producer of Curious Nashville and WPLN Director of Digital Products Mack Linebaugh edited this episode. Julia Ritchey, Chuck Cardona, Damon Mitchell, Marianna Bacallao, and Jackie Llanos contributed voice acting; Rachel Iacovone contributed a train recording. The music is from the Blue Dot Sessions.