Letter to the Honorable Anthony Foxx, Secretary of Transportation of the U.S. Department of Transportation - Regarding the New Jersey Transit Derailment

Letter

Dear Secretary Foxx:

The September 29th New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) derailment in Hoboken, New Jersey underscores the need for immediate and deliberate action to ensure the safety of commuters who rely on public transportation every day. As we eagerly await the results of the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation of the Hoboken derailment, I urge you to comprehensively investigate whether there are additional safety concerns at the agency.

Reports have surfaced indicating that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) conducted a safety audit of NJ Transit in June of this year. This audit may hold further information that is valuable in determining whether or not there are ongoing operation and maintenance issues at NJ Transit. It is vital that Congress obtain further information from the Department of Transportation (DOT) as we work with you to ensure the safety and effective operation and management of our nation's transit systems.

Beyond the audit, the derailment has raised a number of additional questions. For instance, questions have been raised as to what role mismanagement of NJ Transit and underinvestment in New Jersey's rail infrastructure may have played in the derailment, as well as the role of Positive Train Control (PTC) in preventing this derailment. I urge you to investigate whether there are more systemic problems at the agency that may impair safety. Specifically, I urge you to assess whether a lack of funding impaired the ability of the agency to address safety needs. We would also like to understand whether any safety operations or projects may have been prevented by a lack of funding and what impact that had on the safety of the system. In addition, we need to better understand the progress the agency has made to implement PTC and whether additional steps need to be taken to meet the requirement, and whether the exemption for PTC implementation at the Hoboken Terminal should be reevaluated in light of the September 29 derailment and the 2011 PATH train derailment at Hoboken Terminal.

Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter.

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