Schumer: It's Time For CP To Be A Good Neighbor

Press Release

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today urged Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) to a be good neighbor by relocating idling trains that block off the entire Rogers Mountain Way neighborhood, located in the Town of Dickinson, for hours at a time. Schumer explained that, currently, this Broome County community only has one means of entering and exiting the neighborhood, by way of Phelps Street, which contains an at-grade railroad crossing. However, when the crossing is in use, traffic exiting or attempting to enter the area is completely blocked, leaving the neighborhood cut-off and inaccessible. Schumer said this is an inconvenience for residents, a deterrent for local businesses and even a potential safety hazard if fire, police and ambulance services cannot reach the community in the event of an emergency. For this reason, the Town of Dickinson has applied for permits that would allow it to build an alternate road that would allow residents and safety personnel to egress and ingress into the neighborhood even if a train is blocking Phelps Street. Therefore, Schumer said CP must be a good neighbor by moving these idling trains to another location that will no longer cut off this neighborhood, in addition to helping the town fund its construction of the alternate roadway that is needed due to the train obstructions.

"They say good fences make good neighbors -- but when the fence is a diesel-spewing multi-ton, idling Canadian Pacific train, that is not true. Just ask the residents and businesses of Rogers Mountain Way. These idling trains act as a barrier, and completely cut off this community from the Town of Dickinson when they sit idling on the only access road for hours at a time. Canadian Pacific needs to find an area of the track to park these cars where they do not interfere with the quality of life of residents, deter business activity and block critical access to emergency services -- so I'm urging the company to be a friendly neighbor and resolve this issue immediately in order to better protect this community," said Schumer.

Schumer continued, "What's more, this community now needs to build an alternate access road so residents, businesses and emergency personnel will no longer be inhibited by this inconvenience and safety hazard. So I'm urging Canadian Pacific to be a part of the solution and help this community fund the construction of this alternate route. The financial burden to fund such an infrastructure project is significant for a municipality of this size, yet the security of this community is priceless."

Source