(The Associated Press circulated the following article by Carolyn Thompson on January 3.)
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Federal Railroad Administration will investigate the safety of railroad overpasses in two western New York counties following two derailments in as many days in December.
Investigators will review safety and maintenance records kept by railroads and inspect several overpasses in Erie and Chautauqua counties, according to Rep. Brian Higgins, D-N.Y.
Higgins requested the investigation after a Canadian Pacific Railway train derailed on an overpass in Buffalo Dec. 11, sending a light tower crashing onto a passing minivan. The driver was not seriously hurt.
A spokesman for Canadian Pacific, which was operating on Norfolk Southern’s line at the time, said the train was slowing down to stop when crews noticed three cars at the end of the train had derailed.
The day before, a CSX train derailed on an overpass in suburban Cheektowaga, sending a boxcar to the road below. No one was hurt.
CSX spokesman Bob Sullivan said after the accident that a commitment to track maintenance, inspections and training had dramatically decreased derailments in recent years. He could not be reached Wednesday to comment on whether the cause of the December derailment had been found.
Following the accidents, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said he will reintroduce a rail safety bill this year that would increase fines for accidents, establish new requirements for investigations and inspections and require the broader use of new safety technology.
The legislation also would create a $50 million infrastructure grant program.
In Erie County, where both derailments occurred, 18 railroad accidents took place between January 2005 to September 2006. That included the derailment of a CSX train carrying an empty cask used to transport spent U.S. Navy nuclear fuel, Higgins said in a Dec. 13 letter to the FRA.
“A startling pattern of train mishaps give western New York residents the right to question whether those responsible for protecting their safety are sufficiently rigorous in ensuring proper track management and upkeep is taking place,” Higgins said.
The investigation will begin next week and last about four weeks, Higgins said.