Two Democratic members of Congress are calling for action to improve rail safety following a commuter train crash in New York City that left more than 100 people with minor injuries.
Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal and New York Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney say positive train control must be implemented right away. Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, believes PTC would have prevented Wednesday’s Long Island Rail Road incident, when the train hit a bumping block at a Brooklyn station.
Maloney, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, says failing to prioritize investing in rail safety technology nationwide puts more lives in jeopardy. PTC is Wi-Fi and GPS technology that can stop or slow trains remotely. The MTA, parent agency of Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road is working to implement the technology.
