Two New Jersey Congressmen want rail commuters to know when a federal agency is investigating the safety record of the transit system they travel on.
U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr and Albio Sires, D-NJ, co-sponsored a bill that would require federal agencies to notify lawmakers when they’re conducting a safety audit of railroads and commuter rail agencies in their state. The bill was introduced on Feb 15.
The bill was prompted by revelations that the Federal Railroad Administration was conducting a safety audit of NJ Transit rail operations prior to a Sept. 29 train crash which killed a woman in Hoboken Terminal and injured more than 100 other people. The National Transportation Safety Board has yet to determine a cause for the crash.
Payne said the legislation is needed so Congress can provide oversight of rail transit agencies. Under the bill, federal agencies have 10 days to notify federal lawmakers when a safety audit is being conducted of a railroad in their state. The full safety audit has to be sent to those lawmakers 90 days after it is completed.
“I am pleased to introduce this legislation that will ensure that people know when the railroads they rely on are under investigation for safety reasons,” Sires said in a release. “It is imperative that Members of Congress and Senators can inform their constituents when a railroad or rail transit agency is violating safety regulations.”
Last October, U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Robert Menendez, D-NJ, called on the NTSB to investigate other NJ Transit safety issues beyond the Hoboken crash.
Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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