(The following story by Steve Ritea appeared on the Newsday website on August 4.)
NEW YORK — A federal grant program that could help the Long Island Rail Road fund part of its $46-million effort to close dangerous gaps at some station platforms is headed to President George W. Bush for final approval.
The program, part of the Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act of 2007, allows freight and passenger railroads nationwide to compete for $7.5 million aimed at funding safety improvements annually through 2013, said a spokesman for Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who sponsored the program.
The wide-ranging $1.1 billion package, approved by the Senate late Friday night after passing the House in the spring, also includes new standards for rail safety and tougher fines for violations by freight rail companies.
“With Long Islanders facing soaring gas prices and turning away from increasingly expensive commutes in their cars, our public transportation systems need all the help they can get to accommodate a growing influx of riders,” Schumer said in a news release. “This critical funding will allow rail systems across the country, including the LIRR, to ensure that our public transit systems are safe and up-to-date for the people who depend on them.”
The original legislation called for $15 million in annual grants, but that amount was halved before the final Senate vote Friday.
A Newsday investigation published early last year reported more than 800 gap accidents since 1995 and chronicled the LIRR’s previously lax response to the problem. Since then, the railroad has embarked on a massive remediation campaign, planning to spend $46 million by 2012 on gap-shrinking techniques that include shifting platforms, installing metal plates at the base of train car doors and attaching boards to platforms.
The LIRR said it plans to begin attaching the metal plates to its newer M-7 electric trains in October at a cost of about $2,811 per door. Much of the other work is already well under way.
The program is not limited to gap-reducing expenditures, Schumer’s office said, and could fund a variety of safety measures, including the purchase of new cars and infrastructure such as tracks, stations, bridges and tunnels.
The grant program would be administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The announcement comes as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees the LIRR and other mass transit in the region, is threatening to increase fares and delaying certain projects amid a revenue shortfall.