Abinanti, Carlucci Call on DOT to Submit Rail Crossing Study

After two years, New York lawmakers Tom Abinanti and David Carlucci are tired of waiting for the Department of Transportation to start - finish - release a report evaluating all 5,300 railroad crossings in the state.

"Despite a new law that requires a Department of Transportation study of railroad crossings and lots of pressure on Metro-North, neither has done anything to make rail crossings any safer," said Abinanti, an assemblyman from Greenburgh/Mount Pleasant, as he and Senator David Carlucci (Westchester/Rockland) stood with Alan Brody at the site of a tragic rail-car accident three years ago that killed Brody's wife Ellen and five other people.

Friday, they held a press conference calling on the DOT to conduct the required comprehensive review.

Two years ago, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed Abinanti’s and Carlucci’s bill (A5235B/S.3458B) requiring the DOT to conduct a comprehensive review and submit a report on the safety of railroad crossings to the Governor and the Legislature on or before April 1, 2017. The report was to include the accessibility of federal funds for improvement projects and the viability of implementing changes to increase safety.

To date, the DOT has not submitted a report, they said.

The bill was first introduced following the 2015 Metro-North crash – the deadliest in the railroad’s history – where a commuter train collided with an SUV on the tracks at a grade crossing at Commerce Street in Valhalla. Since then, there have been two additional rail-crossing crashes-both in Rockland and Westchester- involving trains and passenger vehicles, they said.

“A comprehensive evaluation of these often-dangerous crossings will go a long way in protecting the health and safety of New Yorkers. Hopefully we’ll be able to accomplish something and not have to keep coming back here,” said Abinanti.

Although rail crossing accidents have declined nationwide, accidents in New York State have increased on the three major commuter rail lines, yhe lawmakers said.

“Shame on the state Department of Transportation for dragging their feet on the rail crossing study. Lives continue to be lost because of the dangers at some of these aging rail crossings. We need a plan in place to upgrade them to prevent future tragedies,” said Carlucci.

Among the recommendations the National Transportation Safety Board made after its analysis of the 2015 crash was for appropriate federal agencies to notify rail-transit properties to do risk assessments of grade crossings that have an electrified third rail component and to require those properties to find ways to mitigate accident severity at those crossings.

“I can’t write legislation, but I’ll write a check for the highway engineer who presents the best analysis and proposal for improving railroad crossings,” said Brody.

SEE ALSO:

• Harlem Line Tragedy: The Front Car Filled with Smoke
• Edgemont Resident Ellen Brody Among Victims in Metro-North Tragedy
  
• Driver Of Car Probable Cause Of Deadly 2015 Metro-North Train Crash
• Dealing With Metro-North Grade Crossings In Mount Pleasant
  

PHOTO/ State Sen. David Carlucci's Office