Senator Harckham Calls for Rail Grade Crossing Safety Upgrades on 5th Anniversary of Valhalla Accident

With the fifth anniversary of the horrific Valhalla train crash just days away, New York State Senator Pete Harckham called today for a cooperative effort that will eliminate unsafe railroad crossings at grade throughout the state. (Grade crossings are where a rail line and roadway, or two rail lines, intersect at the same level.)

Harckham, along with other officials, urged the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) and U. S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to implement a coordinated plan immediately that will replace dangerous crossings at grade with bridges or overpasses in busy suburban areas north of New York City.

“Five years after this tragic incident, in which lives were lost and many were injured or traumatized, this still remains rated the most dangerous crossing in MTA territory. There has been no effort to ensure the safety of the traveling public at the Valhalla grade crossing and other dangerous crossings north of New York City,” said Harckham. “This is entirely unacceptable, especially in light of the billions of dollars budgeted for the Metro-North Railroad this year. There must be a viable, intra-agency commitment to mitigating all high-risk intersections, not just a few here and there, before another accident occurs.”

What is needed, Harckham added, was an MTA capital program to specifically address the issue of dangerous grade crossings on Metro-North’s Harlem, Hudson and New Haven lines. Right now, eight grade crossings on the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) are being eliminated during a third track project.

“If agencies are looking for financial resources to make these important safety upgrades, I’d suggest they tap into the $1.5 billion in congestion pricing revenues expected for the Hudson Valley,” Harckham said. “This is one of those instances in which everyone agrees that action is necessary, so let’s dispense with needless delays and eliminate these unsafe grade crossings.”

Also, a NYSDOT study on statewide grade crossing safety, mandated by state law to be issued on April 1, 2017, has never been released.

“We need the results right now so proper planning can begin,” said Harckham. “Again, delaying safety improvements and going along with business as usual are not in the best interests of our residents.”

The Valhalla accident occurred at around 6:25 p.m. on Feb. 3, 2015, when a Metro-North commuter train struck a passenger vehicle that was caught between the crossing gates at the Commerce Street grade crossing. Six people were killed and another 15 badly injured.

Two years later, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued a report on the accident; among its recommendations were for the Town of Mount Pleasant to act on its previous determination that its four grade crossings, all within two miles of the Commerce Street crossing, be closed for safety reasons. More than 1,000 vehicles use the Commerce Street crossing each day.

“Not a day goes by that Mount Pleasant doesn’t reflect on that tragic day back in 2015,” said Mount Pleasant Supervisor Carl Fulgenzi. “The memories are still vivid; shock, loss, heroism and many more. We all pray for those who lost their lives and their loved ones, who still mourn today. And we are incredibly grateful for all of the First Responders who selflessly gave their time that evening. This is a tragedy that will never be forgotten, and we hope there will be will healing as time goes on. We also hope the state finalizes its report expeditiously so that any and all safety recommendations can be implemented.”

“An element of danger at rail crossings will never be eliminated, but the goal is to study and implement systems that'll reduce the risk to life,” said Anthony Aprea, legislative director of the Association of Commuter Rail Employees (ACRE). “ACRE supports any efforts to make rail crossings safer for the general public and our employees operating trains.”

“Recalling the anniversary of a tragedy comes with only one requirement: that we do all we can, each year, to resolve to solve the problems that caused the tragedy in the first place,” said Neal Zuckerman, an MTA board member.

Since the Valhalla accident, Zuckerman remarked, he has fought for safety to be the MTA’s “number one” priority, and added that “a culture of safety” has returned to the MTA.

“Before Spuyten Duyvil (a 2013 derailment that killed four passengers), we weren’t talking about sleep apnea,” Zuckerman said. “And before the Valhalla-Commerce Street accident, we were not talking about grade crossings.  Now we talk about both.  I challenge the MTA to be proactive and think through what safety issues it is not addressing, but could…and should. May those who died and were injured at Valhalla not have died in vain.”

Senator Harckham visited the Commerce Street grade crossing yesterday. (Here is a link to a video, or visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNMQV_kMxi4.