Letter to The Honorable Joseph C. Szabo, Administrator Federal Railroad Administration

Letter

Today, in the wake of a CSX train derailment in the City of Buffalo's Old First Ward, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer called on the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to initiate a thorough investigation into the accident and provide answers to local officials, first responders and residents. On Tuesday morning, several cars from a CSX train derailed in an industrial area near several Western New York homes. Later that afternoon, 14 more railroad cars came dangerously close to falling off the tracks. Schumer noted that this combination of accidents and near accidents in one day on this portion of CSX track is of serious and immediate concern, and must be investigated promptly, before more serious crashes occur.

"While this week's train car derailment in Buffalo's Old First Ward left no employees or local residents injured, the next time that a train jumps the tracks, we might not be as lucky," said Schumer. "The recent fatal train accident in Canada demonstrates this unfortunate truth, and shows that each and every train incident must be taken very seriously. That is why I'm urging the Federal Railroad Administration to promptly investigate what caused numerous rail cars to come off the track, and dozen others to tip dangerously close on this portion of CSX track. Nothing is more important than accountability of rail companies and the safety of Western New Yorkers, and this investigation needs to happen quickly so that preventative measures can be taken before a more serious crash occurs."

On Tuesday, March 6th, several CSX train cars derailed in the early morning in Buffalo's Old First Ward. According to reports, a portion of the train came off the tracks in a largely industrial area, near South Park Avenue and Lee Street. Later in the day, 10 more railroad cars came very close to falling off of the track, while four other cars tipped more severely. Railroad workers were able to push those cars upright, and thus far the contents of those cars has not been determined to be hazardous.

While this week's incident did not develop into a major disaster, Schumer noted that had the trains been carrying flammable chemicals or other dangerous cargo, there could have been a major catastrophe. In a personal letter to the FRA Administrator Joseph Szabo, Schumer also pointed to last week's Canadian derailment that killed 3 railroad employees and injured 45 passengers, to highlight the need for all train derailments to be taken seriously and granted the utmost attention.

Schumer has a long history of working to cut down on derailments and accidents that have threatened New York's passengers and local residents. In January 2007, Schumer successfully pushed the FRA to initiate an investigation in response to a slew of rail accidents sweeping across Upstate New York. The results revealed 3,518 safety defects, including 199 serious violations, in CSX's 23-state railroad operation. Schumer pointed to the derailments at that time as evidence that the company needed to make long-term investments in infrastructure, technology, and training to strengthen its performance and safety. In 2008, as a result of these efforts, CSX invested $45 million for track improvements. While Schumer was pleased with these steps, this week's train derailment demonstrates that there is more work to be done, and Schumer is pushing the FRA to get to the bottom of the cause of these rail derailments in Buffalo.

A copy of the Senator Schumer's letter appears below:

The Honorable Joseph C. Szabo

Administrator

Federal Railroad Administration

U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590

Dear Administrator Szabo:

I write to request that you investigate the March 6th CSX train car derailment in the City of Buffalo's Old First Ward. The Federal Railroad Administration has an important role to play in protecting public safety and ensuring that we learn and adapt appropriately from accidents like this.

As you know I have called for investigations into similar incidents in the past, particularly after a January 2007 report revealed 3,518 safety defects, including 199 serious incidents in CSX's 23-state railroad operation.

I was pleased that as a result of our efforts and since your previous investigations CSX invested $45 million into track improvements in 2008. Now, as another CSX train derails in a residential neighborhood, it is once again time to determine what caused this accident and how it could have been prevented. While there were no injuries as a result of this derailment, it was only last week that a Canadian derailment killed 3 railroad employees and injured 45 passengers. We need to learn from accidents like the derailment in the Old First Ward so that catastrophes like the Canadian derailment do not occur.

In the interest of safety and future prevention I urge you to quickly and fully investigate this March 6th derailment. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer

Source