Schumer calls for passage of Rail Safety Act

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is calling for Congress to fast-track rail safety measures by passing the proposed Railway Safety Act of 2023.

At a press event held last week along a Norfolk Southern Railway line in Attica, New York, Schumer said legislation is needed to prevent another hazmat train derailment like the one that occurred Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio.

Building on his direct calls to railroads to get answers on how they can improve safety in upstate New York, Schumer said the proposed safety law would help create rail safety protocols, hold railroads accountable for malfeasance and increase transparency of trains carrying hazardous materials.

"I am here to say that the Senate is moving full steam ahead with bipartisan commonsense rail safety reforms, and as majority leader I will serve as the conductor and do all I can to get the support needed to increase transparency and communication, strengthen safety protocols, increase investment in equipment and personnel and jack up fines for wrongdoers," Schumer said in a press release.

Attica is located in western New York, where a number of train derailments have occurred in recent years. In 2020, a train derailed in East Aurora while carrying propane through the town; also in 2020, a train derailed in Silver Springs causing most grade crossings in town to be blocked for about 12 hours while crews worked to clean up the wreckage. And in 2018, a train derailed in Attica, sending two train engines and about 10 rail cars off the tracks where the lead engine caught fire from diesel fuel.

Last month, Schumer wrote to railroad executives asking them to outline their steps to improve rail safety and communication with all levels of government to prevent another derailment like the one that occurred in East Palestine.