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Earlier this week, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) urged the Senate Banking Committee to work quickly in drafting rail safety legislation.

In stressing the need for such legislation, Durbin pointed to two incidents: a Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority train accident that occurred a year ago and a Chicago Transit Authority Red Line train that was enveloped in smoke on Sunday while operating in Chicago’s subways.

“These incidents underscore the need for Congress to pass legislation allowing for stronger federal oversight of our nation’s mass transit systems. There will be severe damage to the livability and economic viability of our urban areas if we do not ensure the safety and reliability of our largest and oldest rail transit systems,” Durbin wrote in a letter to banking committee Chairman Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.)