Congress asked to fund rail crossing safety plan

OREANDA-NEWS. US representative Sean Patrick Maloney (D-New York) this week introduced legislation aimed at improving safety at rail crossings after a Metro North train-car accident in Valhalla, New York, that killed six people and injured 15.

The accident came the same day as Maloney and other representatives held a hearing on Capitol Hill that addressed train safety in the face of increased volumes of crude-by-rail. The 3 February accident involved a passenger train and a vehicle that reportedly stopped on the tracks.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash that caused a fiery explosion. Rail traffic on the commuter line was suspended for two days while the investigation was completed and repairs were made.

"Safety is our first priority and unfortunately incidents at rail crossings are all too common in New York; that is why it is crucial that we invest in positive train control and improve safety at grade crossings immediately," Maloney said.

His Rail Crossings Safety Improvement Act (HR 705) would reauthorize a dormant grant program that provides federal funds to state and local governments to improve safety at rail crossings. It would fund the rail line relocation and improvement capital grants at \\$100mn/year for the next four years.

The program was created by Congress in 2005 and funding was first appropriated in 2008. Grants may be awarded only for construction projects that improve the route or structure of the rail line and have the purpose of improving safety, motor vehicle traffic flow, economic development or quality of life for the community. Projects also must involve a lateral or vertical relocation of a rail line.

Under the program, pre-construction activities such as preliminary engineering and design are eligible for funding, but planning and feasibility studies are not. From fiscal 2008-2011, Congress appropriated \\$90.1mn but the program has been dormant since, and all funding has been awarded. The funding is in addition to Section 130 funding that is available and appropriated specifically for railroads and governments to improve highway-rail grade crossings, but is not included in Maloney's bill.

Maloney this week also called for Congress to pass his Commuter Rail Passenger Safety Act, which would allow commuter and freight rail systems to apply for loans and loan guarantees to invest in positive train control through the Federal Railroad Administration's railroad rehabilitation and improvement financing program.