Letter to Acting Administrator Warren - Swiftly Obligate the $5.2 Million in Railroad Safety Infrastructure Improvement Grants Program Funds Awarded to the New York State Department of Transportation

Letter

I urge you to swiftly obligate the $5.2 million in Railroad Safety Infrastructure Improvement Grants Program funds awarded to the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) in September of 2016 to improve the safety of 53 rail grade crossings along Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) lines. I understand that to date NYSDOT has not received any of the funds and negotiations are on-going on specific grant agreements. These funds are urgently needed to upgrade dangerous grade crossings and reduce the number of accidents, and therefore I'd urge you to expedite the approval of the grant agreements and award the funds as quickly as possible.

As you know, in 2015, a Metro-North train traveling on the Harlem line struck an SUV on its tracks in Valhalla, NY, killing five passengers and the car driver and injuring many more--the deadliest accident in Metro-North's history. In New York, there are over 5,000 rail grade crossings. Between 2005 and 2014, there were 341 Railway Grade Crossing Incidents that resulted in 59 fatalities and 96 injuries in New York.

The FRA awarded $5,162,417 in federal funds, provided by the FY 16 Railroad Safety Infrastructure Improvement Grant Program. Specifically:

$1,347,500 in grant funds to be used to add highway traffic signal preemption to seven grade crossings on Metro-North's Harlem and Port Jervis Lines to activate the traffic signals at the intersections and allow queued traffic to safely exit onto the highway prior to the activation of the railroad grade crossing warning systems. This will ensure motorists, pedestrians and cyclists will have time to clear the crossing before the grates go down.
$1,910,785 in grant funds to be used to install CCTV cameras to record grade crossing movements at 43 identified grade crossings within Metro-North and LIRR territory to investigate specific incidents and analyze operations for targeted modifications to improve safety.
$1,904,132 in grant funds to be used to install upgrades to three grade crossings to mitigate hazardous conditions between highway and rail traffic. The Metro-North project includes upgrading the roadway, pavement markings and signage in North White Plains. The LIRR project will improve two public highway grade crossings in Deer Park and Oceanside, with preemptive safety equipment and undertake roadway/traffic control improvements.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. The $5.2 million in Railroad Safety Infrastructure Improvement Grants Program funds that have been awarded will help to make a meaningful improvement in railroad safety throughout New York, but the funding must be released in order for these important projects to move forward. Should you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact my office.

Source