Schumer Bill Puts Long Island Railroad Safety On Track

Press Release

Schumer Bill Puts Long Island Railroad Safety On Track

Today, Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) introduced significant federal railroad safety legislation aimed at fixing dangerous gaps at Long Island's train platforms and making at Nassau County's 84 and Suffolk County's 246 highway-rail grade crossings safer for motorists and pedestrians. The Schumer legislation - known as the Rail Crossing and Hazardous Materials Transport Act - provides money to fix platform gaps, sets tougher fines for violations of existing laws at crossings, studies all 330 Long Island crossings for possible safety improvements, requires that all accident data be centrally maintained in a federal database and outlines new safety measures at troubled crossings.

"There is a railroad safety crisis nationwide and nowhere is this problem more evident than on Long Island," Schumer said. "We must do something immediately to address these egregious safety concerns, and crack down on those who evade existing regulations."

The bill establishes a federal grant program to help the Long Island Railroad and Metro North close gaps between platforms and trains, a safety hazard that has contributed to 39 LIRR accidents in the first three months of this year alone. Under Schumer's bill, $50 million in grants will be available each year for five years to public transportation authorities for upgrades to their rail platforms.

In addition to safety on platforms, Schumer's bill makes rail crossings safer for motorists and pedestrians. It directs the Secretary of Transportation to come up with best practices for enforcement and for encouraging motorists and pedestrians to obey existing regulations. And lawbreakers will have to pay up under a stricter fine structure that raises both the minimum and maximum fines for those who flaunt the law.

A 2006 audit conducted by the New York State Comptroller's office found that motorists and pedestrians crossed under dangerous conditions at 21 Long Island Rail Road and Metro North grade crossings. In less than two days, videotaped footage showed 294 violations, including 203 at LIRR crossings in Nassau, Suffolk and Queens Counties.

Among the most frequent violations, the study found that cars and trucks ignored safety devices over 80 times at LIRR crossings and uncovered 20 instances where pedestrians or bicyclists ventured across LIRR tracks under dangerous conditions.

"The lack of compliance with the law is deeply troubling," said Sen. Schumer. "The fact is that we can take concrete and immediate steps to avert tragedy by simply obeying the laws on the books."

Over the past five years, there have been 44 accidents at Long Island's 330 grade-level crossings, 16 of which resulted in fatalities. Between 2004 and 2005, the number of accidents at Long Island rail crossings jumped from five to 14. In 2006, there were 10 rail accidents in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, and there have already been three this year.

In addition to stricter enforcement, Schumer's legislation would direct the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a comprehensive study of Long Island's 330 highway-rail grade crossings, reviewing them for security measures, safety conditions, past accidents and possible safety improvements. After the review, which includes all crossings across the country, the Schumer bill directs the Secretary of Transportation to select 5,000 crossings for safety improvements and submit that list to Congress.

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