Some lights fixed after Elyria residents bring up safety concerns at Amtrak station

Published: Sep. 19, 2022 at 4:46 PM EDT
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LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio (WOIO) - Elyria residents are finally seeing results after calling the 19 News Troubleshooter for help.

Earl Gregory reached out to the 19 News Troubleshooter Team in early September, because the lights at the Amtrak station had been out since June.

“People just can’t find their way up here from the parking lot, “said Gregory “I saw a guy fall the other night”.

Concerned for the safety of others, Gregory called Amtrak and the city of Elyria, before calling 19 News, hoping to get the problem fixed.

“That’s been three weeks ago now, and I still haven’t heard from them,” said Gregory.

He and his neighbor Dean Shook started carrying flashlights.

“We’re both like volunteer station keepers at night,” said Shook. “If it’s dark here, no one can really see where they’re going, they could trip and fall into a train.”

19 News called Amtrak and we were told they were looking into the situation and would be getting back with us soon.

A couple of weeks later 2 of the lights on the right side of the station were fixed, but the left side was still in the dark.

Our team contacted Amtrak again, to see why there was only a partial fix, we received this statement.

“The lighting for much of the platform and the parking area have been repaired. Some forestry work is being done to clear the power lines to reach more of the lighting for repair. It will be done as soon as possible. In the meantime, our trains are using the portion of the platform which is already well-lit.”

- Marc Magliari, Amtrak

19 News will continue to update this story as progress is made on restoring the lights at the station.