Fighting to Invest in Our Transportation Infrastructure

Statement

Dear Friends,

Like many of you, I'm a regular commuter who depends on Metro-North and Amtrak to get to work. And like you, I'm frustrated and appalled by Metro-North's string of accidents and delays over the past year. This includes the derailment and collision on the Bridgeport-Fairfield border that sent more than 70 people to the hospital, another derailment in the Bronx that killed four people, and a wide-scale power outage that wreaked havoc during rush hour on a cold January night. Just last week, Norwalk's 118-year-old Walk Bridge once again failed to close properly, causing more disruption.

We cannot tolerate these dangers to the safety of our people and the economic health of our state. I'd like to update you on efforts now underway to fix the problems plaguing Metro-North, and why these issues underscore the urgent need to invest in our national transportation infrastructure.

Earlier this year, the Federal Railroad Administration's "Deep Dive" investigation of Metro-North confirmed that the system's safety and reliability problems are rooted in a culture that tolerated poor performance and lax enforcement of safety procedures. Metro-North has since installed new leadership and a plan to make necessary improvements. This was an important step in the right direction, and I will continue to be vigilant as Metro-North implements its plans.

I am now working to help Connecticut secure federal funding to replace the Walk Bridge and repair other deteriorating infrastructure on Metro-North's New Haven line. I am also supporting calls for the U.S. Coast Guard to limit openings of the bridge to curb the frequent disruptions it has caused.

Last week, I joined my fellow members of Connecticut's Congressional delegation in urging the U.S. Department of Transportation to expedite this critical funding as quickly as possible. I also pressed U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx on this issue during a face-to-face conversation with him on Wednesday.

Metro-North's challenges provide stark of evidence of why our nation can no longer afford to short change our long-term infrastructure investments. And yet this week, the House Republican majority passed a transportation bill that slashes critical funding for our nation's highway and transit programs, including deep cuts to Amtrak and TIGER grants, which are essential to our region.

I strongly opposed this misguided legislation and spoke out against it on the House floor. The bill provides $70 billion for transportation, which seems like a big number. But to put it in context, we're spending nearly 10 times as much on our military and intelligence programs than we are on building the transportation infrastructure needed to create jobs and economic growth.

One of the bill's few bright spots is that it includes a rail safety proposal I introduced with several of my colleagues from Connecticut. The provision requires railroad companies to install an alert system into their train cabs to rouse engineers who seem inattentive at the controls. This will help ensure that accidents like the fatal Bronx derailment won't happen again.

As a state and as a nation, we should not tolerate the problems at Metro-North, the outdated state of Kennedy and LaGuardia airports, or mind-numbing congestion on I-95. We will have to invest in a 21st century infrastructure that puts thousands of people to work and helps our businesses compete in the global marketplace. I will continue fighting to make that happen, especially here in Connecticut.

It is a privilege to represent you in Congress.

Sincerely,

Jim

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