Politicians, Safety Group Will Call Monday for Railroad Crossing Safety Improvements

Chappaqua officials will stand with Congresswoman Nita Lowey (NY-17) and Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) at a press conference Monday at Chappaqua Crossing, calling for safety improvements at railroad grade crossings.

The Harlem Line crossing below the old Readers Digest building is less than half a mile from Horace Greeley High School and just yards from the traffic light at the Saw Mill River Parkway.

Representatives from Operation Lifesaver will also be on hand to provide safety tips for grade crossings.

Congress is considering passenger rail safety bills that include rail crossing improvements across the country. In addition, New Castle Supervisor Rob Greenstein has called on federal officials to fund a bridge at the Roaring Brook crossing.

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• New Castle Asks for Overpass at Roaring Brook Grade Crossing
• Schumer, Blumenthal to Introduce Grade Crossing Safety Bill

After the Metro-North tragedy in Valhalla Feb. 3—where three people with ties to New Castle died—a second major grade crossing accident involving a commuter rail line took place outside Los Angeles on Feb. 24, Greenstein pointed out.

Greenstein’s office provided these statistics: From 2012-2014, there were 81 accidents, 15 deaths and 23 injuries at rail grade crossings, according to the Federal Railroad Administration Office of Safety. This year, the U.S. Department of Transportation listed railroad intersections as one of the “three most pressing rail safety issues.” In New York, there are currently 5,304 grade crossings.

In the upcoming week, the House of Representatives is expected to consider the Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act (PRRIA), which includes Maloney and Lowey’s legislation H.R. 705, the Rail Crossings Safety Improvement Act, which reauthorizes the Rail Line Relocation and Improvement Capital Grant Program (RLR), Greenstein said.