Train legislation just one step

Railroad safety changes throughout the country would be made if legislation proposed by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is adopted.

The bill co-authored by Graham and Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., came on the heels of two fatal train accidents in Graniteville. A November car-train crash at a crossing killed five, and the Jan. 6 collision and chlorine release was fatal to 9 and forced the evacuation of the town for several days.

Rail safety, as we have seen from the incidents in Graniteville, is of utmost importance. Thousands of tons of material – some of it hazardous – roll through our county every month, and the people who live near rail lines must be confident of the safety of those tracks and the trains that travel them.

The proposed measures would increase fines for violations of hazardous material transporting and require a review of rail crossings, among other matters in the bill.

This is much-needed legislation, but it does not address all of the concerns of the people of Graniteville. Still to be assessed is the speed of trains going through the town. Speed may have been a contributing factor in the two recent accidents. The maximum speed for trains on that part of the Norfolk Southern track is 49 mph – a rate far too fast for a populated area.

Norfolk Southern has already said it will adopt a recent suggestion to ensure rail switch closings by having two train crew members sign off when a switch is closed and have that information called into the control center.

Graniteville also should have a gate crossing at the Ascauga Lake Road crossing. While railroad officials may argue the point as to the cost of such an addition, Graniteville can easily argue the point that this community has already paid dearly for the railroad.

Copyright © 2003, The Aiken Standard