Issue Position: Transportation

Issue Position

The United States used to have the best highways, railways and airports in the world. Few would assert that's still the case. Year after year, we have watched them deteriorate, at the expense of passenger safety and efficiency. It's time to rebuild our transportation infrastructure and instill a renewed culture of safety.

Metro North Railroad

Perhaps nowhere in the Northeast has the lack of infrastructure investment been more apparent than along the Metro North Railroad lines. The past year has been fraught with deadly derailments and accidents and constant service delays. Riders endured a train derailment and collision in Bridgeport that injured 76 people, as well as a second derailment in the Bronx that killed four people and injured dozens. The railroad needs to regain the confidence of the people who depend on it to get safely and efficiently between work and home.

Reasonable first steps to regaining commuter confidence are found in the Federal Railroad Administration's "Deep Dive" report on Metro North. Issued in March, the report confirmed that the railroad's lax safety culture of late is largely to blame. Commuters should not have to choose -- Metro North must return to providing safe and efficient service.

In late April, I introduced legislation to require Metro North to begin using an "alerter" system. These systems go into alarm mode whenever the driver of a moving train becomes still, alerting monitors in time to prevent deadly accidents. The bill would also require the railroad to set its timeline for instituting Positive Train Control and for issuing final safety regulations in conjunction with the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008.

In late April, the MTA announced that it would indeed have Positive Train Control a year from now, and it will invest $11.3 million to ensure that the schedule stays on track. In the meantime, I encourage the MTA to repair their relationship with riders by improving customer service and communications with riders.

Expanding Capacity in Stamford, Bridgeport and Norwalk

A safe and efficient transit system is a cornerstone to the region's economic development: By innovating and implementing a long-term regional vision, we can move people between work and home faster, get products to market more efficiently, provide ideal conditions for economic growth, and create jobs at the same time.

To really kickstart job growth, our cities need to increase mass transit capacity. I was proud to help Stamford win a multi-million dollar TIGER grant to improve access to the Stamford train station and increase its capacity. I also helped assemble funding from the local, state and federal governments to make Norwalk's Pulse Point bus project a reality and to give mass transit in Bridgeport a boost. The transit hubs in both cities are expanding capacity while polluting less, and that's good for everyone.

Supporting the Infrastructure Bank

Our infrastructure investment needs are significant. I believe that the best way to jumpstart that investment is through the public-private partnership of an infrastructure bank. I am strongly in support of the National Infrastructure Bank that will be coming before the House for consideration. By providing low-cost financing, the bank will encourage badly needed investment in transportation, environmental, energy and telecommunications projects.

Envisioning the Cross Harbor Freight Tunnel

Next time you're stuck in traffic on the interstate highway, imagine how quickly traffic would flow if half the trucks were suddenly removed from the road. Imagine replacing them with freight trains, moving safely along the rails, making it cheaper to move goods and reducing the carbon footprint of all that freight.

The Cross Harbor Freight Tunnel would help us accomplish just that. At present, the only place a freight train can cross the Hudson River and pass into New England is near Albany, NY. But a Cross Harbor Freight Tunnel through New York Harbor would help us move goods more cost-effectively and reduce highway congestion.

I have joined other Members of Congress, mostly from the Northeast, to push for this tunnel to be built. It's a bold vision, but it's a vision I embrace, as it will benefit the people of our district immeasurably.

Investing in Local Transportation and Infrastructure Projects

I supported the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act because it put Americans back to work improving the roads we use every day. As a result of Recovery Act funds, the Merritt Parkway underwent significant improvements and can now handle more volume through Fairfield and Trumbull. The Recovery Act also funded improvements to Metro North's Danbury Line and upgrades to stations along the New Haven Line. It helped Connecticut put new, cleaner buses into service for mass transit, and roads in nearly every town have been repaved and rebuilt as well.

One of the most exciting, large-scale projects in the district is the revitalization of the Steelepointe Peninsula in Bridgeport. Thanks to an $11 million TIGER Grant from the Department of Transportation, construction for the transit-oriented mixed-use development is now underway. The TIGER funds will be used to construct and improve roads that are within walking distance of many forms of public transit in Bridgeport. This sort of transit-friendly development will attract new residents, businesses and visitors to Bridgeport -- not to mention thousands of jobs.

We've smoothed out a lot of bumps in the road, but there are still miles to go. For Fairfield County to remain an attractive place to live, work and go to school, getting to your destination should not be the hardest part of the day.

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