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To help accomplish this, Schumer announced a two-part plan on Friday, Dec. 9 to increase safety at these crossings and prevent tragedies such as the 2015 train crash in the Westchester County hamlet of Valhalla, which killed six people when a Metro-North train struck an SUV stopped on the tracks.
Schumer also cited the 2013 Spuyten Duyvil train derailment in New York City, which killed four people and injured more than 60.
"We will never forget the tragedies in Valhalla and Spuyten Duyvil, and need to do more – and to do it faster – to achieve better rail safety for Hudson Valley commuters, rail workers, pedestrians and drivers," Schumer said during an announcement in Putnam County at a soon-to-be-upgraded Metro-North train crossing in Garrison.
As part of his plan to help make the crossings safer, Schumer first intends to push for $67 million in federal funding to eliminate a dangerous train crossing in New Castle on Metro-North's Harlem line that has seen over 850 accidents in 15 years, according to Schumer. The funding is now available to build a bridge to replace the crossing, Schumer said.
The senator is also pushing for Metro-North to install "positive train control" technology in its trains, which can automatically slow down trains in the event of excessive speed or if there is an obstacle on the tracks, according to Schumer. The senator is pushing for $45 million in federal funds to accomplish this, he said.
"We can’t let progress idle, which is why I am calling on the feds to get all aboard with my two-track plan to increase rail safety funding and fast track long overdue projects to keep commuters, workers and residents safe," Schumer said.
Metro-North currently has 74 public highway crossings and 34 private-highway rail crossings, according to Schumer, who also said that Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess Counties have a "long history of train accidents."
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