State ex rel. St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Co. v. Public Service Commission of the State
State ex rel. St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Co. v. Public Service Commission of the State
Opinion of the Court
This is an appeal of the St. Louis-San Francisco Eailway Company from the judgment of the Circuit Court of Cole County affirming an order of the. Public. Service Commission in regard to grade crossings in the city of Cuba. Appellant’s main line, between St. Louis and Springfield, runs approximately east and west through Cuba. The depot, principal switch tracks and the junction of the Salem branch with the main line is in the eastern part of the city. The business district of Cuba is about one-half mile west of the depot. Business buildings are located on both sides of the railroad, but most of the stores are on the north side. State Highway No. 19 is routed north and south through Cuba on Buchanan
In 1929 there was a fatal accident at the Hickory Street crossing (the crossing farthest west) and, at the suggestion of the Commission, appellant installed a flasher-light type of automatic bell signal on each side of the crossing. In 1931 appellant and the State Highway Commission filed with the Public Service Commission a joint application for the location and establishment of an underpass crossing of the highway at the railroad tracks (about half way between the depot and the business district) 870 feet east of Buchanan Street. The application stated that they had agreed upon the construction and maintenance cost of the underpass and also stated that, upon the completion of the underpass, the grade crossings at Buchanan and Hickory Streets would become useless and of no benefit to the trave ing public and should be ordered closed. The city of Cuba protested the closing of either of these crossings. There was no controversy about the underpass, the issue before the Public Service Commission being whether two of the three street crossings at grade should be abolished. If both of them were closed the only connection across the tracks in the business, district would be on Smith Street (the crossing between them), which was the principal business street of the city. It was estimated that the normal traffic through the highway underpass would be 1,000 vehicles per day; that at times this would be as much as 2,000 vehicles per day; and that if both the other crossings were closed “a maximum of 250 vehicles would' use Smith Street crossing of necessity” daily. The railroad traffic consisted of twelve passenger trains, eight through freight trains and one local freight train per day. Passenger trains, which did not stop at Cuba, passed over the street crossings at a speed of 60 miles per hour, while freight trains which did not stop passed at 35 miles per hour. The grade through Cuba was uphill going west and passenger trains, which did stop, passed the grade crossings at from 25 to 45 miles per hour, their speed depending upon the direction they traveled. Freight trains which stopped passed at from 18 to 25 miles per hour.
On the north side of the railroad track running parallel with it between the business district and the proposed underpass was north Main Street. Approaching any of the three street crossings from the north, the view was unobstructed so that a train could be seen
Evidence on behalf of the city tended to show that the Smith Street crossing alone would be insufficient; that because of automobiles parked on Smith Street the traveling space on it was at times reduced to 15 feet; that because of this condition and the congestion of travel on it, the danger to people crossing the railroad would be greater with only that crossing than it would if there were three crossings; and that trains stopping at the depot sometimes backed up across Smith Street and remained there for ten or fifteen minutes, which made it necessary to go to Hickory Street to cross the tracks. It was also shown that the fairgrounds were on Hickory Street; that this crossing was used for going to the fair; that closing it would throw an extreme amount of traffic on Smith Street during fair time; and that Cuba had a population of about 814 people, about one-third of which lived on the south side of the tracks. A traffic count made by the railroad of traffic on Sunday, January 18, 1931, showed more traffic that day on Hickory Street than on Smith Street. Exhibits introduced show that the post office and several churches are located on Hickory Street. The conclusions of the Commission about the matter were as follows:
“In considering the matter of closing the Hickory and Buchanan street crossings, the. Commission must first look into the element of*443 hazard. There is a marked similarity in the physical conditions of these two crossings and that at Smith Street. The grades of the approaches to the crossing are practically the same, and the distances that approaching trains can be seen are substantially the same. Before the flasher-light signal was installed at Hickory Street the degree of hazard was approximately the same at all three crossings.
“After investigation of the above-mentioned accident, the Commission concluded that flasher-light and bell signals at the Hickory Street crossing would protect the traveling public at said crossing and ordered same installed. There have been no physical changes at said Hickory Street crossing since said installation, and the Commission is of the opinion that said crossing is not unusually hazardous and should not be closed at this time.
“The Commission is of the opinion that the Smith Street and Buchanan Street crossings are unusually hazardous.
“The evidence shows that a large percentage of the traffic now using the Buchanan Street crossing will be diverted over Highway Route No. 19 and through the proposed subway, and that the closing of the Buchanan Street crossing will not greatly inconvenience the residents of Cuba. The Commission is of the opinion, therefore, that two unusually hazardous grade crossings, located only 200 feet apart, should not be permitted to exist and that said Buchanan Street crossing should be closed and abandoned.
‘ ‘ The Commission is of the further opinion that flasher-light signals, of an approved type, should be erected at the Smith Street crossing to protect the traveling public. A constant source of danger exists at any crossing where a traveler cannot see an approaching train because of obstructions.
“The obstructions in this case are on the company’s right of way and have been placed there by the company or with its permission. Without them, the crossing would not be unusually hazardous. The company should, therefore, be charged with the responsibility of protecting the traveling public and should bear the entire cost of installing the flasher-light signals at the Smith street crossing.”
The Commission made an order in accordance with these conclusions and, after a rehearing was denied, the railroad brought the matter before the Circuit Court of Cole County on petition of review. The circuit court entered judgment affirming the order of the Commission and the railroad has appealed from this judgment.
Appellant contends that the order of the Commission is arbitrary, unlawful and unreasonable in refusing to abolish the Hickory Street crossing. The Commission has authority, under Section 5171, Revised Statutes 1929, to alter or abolish any grade crossing. [See, also, State ex rel. Rutledge v. Public Serv. Comm., 316
Appellant next contends that the requirement, that it at its own expense install a flashing light bell signal at Smith Street crossing, is unreasonable and unlawful and is not supported by the evidence. Appellant admitted that such protection was necessary there if it was the only grade crossing and we do not think that, under the evidence, the Commission’s order requiring it was unreasonable, when two crossings remained. Furthermore, the conditions at both were practically the same, and appellant had, when its necessity for protection of the public was suggested, installed one at Hickory Street.
Appellant says also that the Commission was without power to impose this requirement because no such issue was raised .by the pleadings before the Commission. “A complaint under the Public
The final contention of the appellant, that the requirement of the safety ■ signal was unlawful, is that the effect of that part of the order is to take and damage the property of appellant for public use without just compensation in violation of Section 21, Article II, of the Constitution of Missouri, and to deprive the Railroad of its property without due process of law in violation of Section 30, of Article II, of the Constitution of Missouri and Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. Such a contention has been overruled by this court in State ex rel. Kansas City Term. Railroad Co. v. Public Service Comm., 308 Mo. 350, 272 S. W. 957, and C. R. I. & P. Ry. Co. v. Public Service Comm., 315 Mo. 1108, 287 S. W. 617, and by the Supreme Court of the United States in Erie Railroad Co. v. Board of Public Utility Commissioners, 254 U. S. 394, 65 L. Ed. 322, 41 Sup. Ct. Rep. 169. It is a matter of the exercise of the police power of the State in the interest of public safety. The cost of such an improvement cannot be imposed upon a railroad merely because it is a railroad, but, where the presence of the railroad company’s tracks and the condition of its right of way makes a public street crossing dangerous and hazardous to the public, the State has a constitutional right to require improvements which will decrease the danger. As said by this court in the Rock Island ease (315 Mo. l. c. 1114) : “Take away the railroad (and also here the obstructions to the travelers’ view which it has permitted upon its right of way) and there would be no more
The judgment is affirmed.
The foregoing opinion by Hyde C., is adopted as the opinion of the court.
Reference
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- State of Missouri ex rel. St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Company v. Public Service Commission of the State of Missouri
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