In wake of two train derailments in Ohio in the last few weeks, especially the derailment in East Palestine on Feb. 3, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., says he will seek answers from rail companies on what they will do to protect communities in New York from such incidents.
During a video conference with the media Tuesday, Schumer said Norfolk Southern announced a six-point plan it said would enhance the safety of its operations.
“But the people of upstate New York, our local leaders and first responders still have a lot of questions on the trains that run through their backyard every day and I’m here to get answers,” Schumer said.
The senator noted two major lines go through New York — the CSX line, which goes along the Erie Canal and through cities such as Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse; and Norfolk Southern, which goes across the Southern Tier. Schumer said he is sending a letter with 10 questions to every major rail company in Upstate New York and the country.
“People are worried, as they should be. Upstate is a hub for freight rail activity, a real hub. Our tracks regularly carry trains with hazardous material,” he said. “That’s a risk to our communities and these major rail companies have a responsibly, if they’re going to carry this stuff, to make sure New Yorkers are kept safe.”
New Yorkers should not have to live in fear that these trains, running through their cities and dumping toxic, hazardous material near their family homes, might derail, Schumer said.
“These rail companies need to be crystal clear and consistent with our public officials, with our firefighters and first responders, so they have all the info they need to keep upstate safe. It’s not an option. It’s a necessity,” he said. “Different hazardous materials require different kinds of firefighting equipment and materials. When our localities don’t know what’s going through, they can’t be prepared to fight the fire.”
Schumer listed a few accidents and derailments that have happened in the state in the last several years, including the March 8, 2017 derailment of a CSX train, that was carrying gunpowder, in Batavia. It derailed just south of the city’s Wastewater Treatment Plant, CSX confirmed that day. Not all of the linked cars were thrown off the tracks, but several were lurching off the rails. At a central point, a container had fallen off, smashing another in a heap that included an uplifted connection between two cars.
Schumer said Tuesday that none of the incidents in New York were on the scale of the Feb. 3 East Palestine derailment, which started a fire and led to health concerns in the town. But, the senator said, with better safety measures, the incidents in New York, such as the one in Batavia, could have been prevented.
Among the questions Schumer told the media he has for rail companies are the following:
n What notification do you provide to the state and local responders now? More importantly, what changes will you make in terms of notification, in light of the recent derailment in Ohio?
n How will you ensure local responders have the appropriate resources to respond to a train derailment?
n What method of wayside detectors do you use to find defects? What are your response protocols when the detectors are set off?
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