Maloney Statement on LIRR Train Derailment in Brooklyn

Newburgh, NY - Representative Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) issued the following statement after a Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) train derailed at Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn, NY injuring dozens of people.  

“I am thankful that no one was killed after another dangerous train derailment, however dozens of New Yorkers were injured while simply going about their morning train commute. This is another in a string of dangerous reminders that we must invest in rail safety and improve our transportation systems nationwide.

“While we don’t yet know why the train was traveling too fast or didn’t stop when it arrived at the station, we do know that one of the best ways to prevent train accidents is to install positive train control (PTC) on all our trains – the longer we fail to prioritize investing in rail safety technology, the more innocent lives we put in jeopardy. I want to thank Governor Cuomo for making PTC a priority - today’s incident shows that its implementation can’t come quick enough.”

Rep. Maloney is a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Since joining Congress, Rep. Maloney has been a leader on rail safety and investing in positive train control (PTC), a simple Wi-Fi and GPS technology that can stop or slow trains remotely.

In December 2015, Rep. Maloney’s Passenger Train Derailment Prevention Act of 2015 was signed into law, which requires passenger railroads and freight lines on which passenger rail travels to identify high-hazard curves, like those involved in the Spuyten Duyvil and Philadelphia train derailments, and take actions to enhance safety through modification of existing ATC or other signal systems, increasing crew size, installing signage at those locations, installing of alerters in cabs, and increasing crew communication. In March 2015, the House also passed Rep. Maloney’s Commuter Rail Passenger Safety Act, which would make all positive train control installations "priority projects" as part of the $35 billion Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing (RRIF) Program that currently provides loans and loan guarantees to railroads.