We live in Ammon, Idaho, a mostly residential city of just over 17,000 people.  A stub line of the railroad runs right through several residential neighborhoods in Ammon, passing HUNDREDS of homes. Normally we see maybe ONE or TWO TRAINS travel down the Ammon stub line IN A YEAR.  For the past 10 years the line has rarely even been used.

Covid-19 changed that.  In May 2020, a train was parked on the Ammon stub line, behind many of our beautiful residential neighborhoods. The railway company at the time informed us that the train would be parked by our homes for about 90 days due to Covid-19 and the economic downturn the virus was causing. Although we, the citizens of Ammon, did not approve of having the train stored near our homes, we understood that it would be moved after a short period of time. More than 90 days later, we have learned that the railway companies have decided that the train will REMAIN on the Ammon line INDEFINITELY.

Not only is the train an EYESORE in our beautiful residential neighborhoods, but it has become a DANGER to our children and our homes. Teenagers and children are often seen playing on and around the train. New GRAFFITI has appeared on the sides of multiple cars since its arrival.

We live in AMMON because it is a BEAUTIFUL, SAFE place to live and raise our families. The parked TRAIN all along the Ammon stub line is an UGLY HAZARD and it should be removed.

We, as Ammon citizens, are petitioning to either have the train REMOVED from storage on the Ammon stub line, or for the railway to be declared ABANDONED pursuant to 49 CFR Section 1152 as it was hardly ever used prior to the Covid-19 storage and is inconsistent with our residential neighborhoods.

The protection of our homes and families is of the utmost importance!