WASHINGTON, D.C. – September 27, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty (CT-5) wrote to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials today to urge that the subcommittee hold a hearing to investigate deficiencies in our energy infrastructure and safety practices that threaten the reliability of rail service. The letter follows yesterday’s Metro-North service disruption that has drastically limited service for commuters who use the Metro-North New Haven Line each day. Officials have said that the disruption could take weeks to repair.
Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty in
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Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty in
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“As the increased ridership along the Northeast Corridor indicates, more and more Americans now look to rail to meet their transit needs,” Esty wrote. “It is an engine for economic growth in Connecticut, bearing a terrific return on investment. As a member of the Rail Subcommittee, I therefore stand ready and willing to assist in finding expert witnesses capable of identifying the steps we can take to protect against future breakdowns and delays like the one now hampering businesses and workers across the entire region.”
Esty serves on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure as well as the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.
Today’s letter follows in full.
September 26, 2013
Dear Chairman Denham and Ranking Member Brown:
Yesterday, the Metro-North Railroad’s New Haven line was severely disrupted after a problem arose in Mt. Vernon, N.Y., where a Con Edison cable supplying power to the railroad suddenly failed. The severe harm caused may last weeks. Furthermore, it follows in the wake of recent tragedies on the New Haven line that, when combined with this outage and recent interruptions across the country, demand a renewed commitment to improve rail safety and reliability. Out of respect for those harmed, and the passengers whose livelihoods depend on this service, I request that the Rail Subcommittee hold a hearing to investigate deficiencies in our energy infrastructure and safety practices that threaten the reliability of rail service.
This is not a parochial issue. The last several months have witnessed numerous rail service disruptions with negative consequences cascading across state boundaries. Yesterday’s failure of one high-voltage cable harmed not only the line’s 125,000 daily commuters, their workplaces, and families, it also delayed Amtrak service along the entire Northeast corridor. Restoration of service is estimated to take up to three weeks – during which time, tens of thousands of passengers must find other ways to go to work or to school. Our already overcrowded roads, Interstate 95 in particular, have limited capacity to absorb these travelers.
Industry redundancies exist for the specific purpose of ensuring safe, reliable service. For instance, the Mt. Vernon sub-station providing power to the New Haven line typically features a second cable. However, in this instance, the second cable had been removed as part of equipment upgrades and scheduled repairs. This raises several legitimate questions I believe the Rail Subcommittee should investigate, including:
What challenges prevent current redundancies from ensuring safe, reliable rail transit?
What steps are necessary to maintain the energy infrastructure requisite to power mass transit while protecting against moments of unacceptable vulnerability?
How do current risks, and the federal resources we devote to protect against them, compare to previous eras?
As the increased ridership along the Northeast Corridor indicates, more and more Americans now look to rail to meet their transit needs. It is an engine for economic growth in Connecticut, bearing a terrific return on investment. As a member of the Rail Subcommittee, I therefore stand ready and willing to assist in finding expert witnesses capable of identifying the steps we can take to protect against future breakdowns and delays like the one now hampering businesses and workers across the entire region.
As we face fiscal challenges and an increasingly constrained budget, we must not allow the benefits accrued from the growing popularity of passenger rail systems to be threatened by neglect or disinvestment. Commuters in Connecticut, and those all across America, deserve better.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth H. Esty
Member of Congress
cc: The Honorable Bill Shuster, Chairman, Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure
The Honorable Nick Rahall, Ranking Member, Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure
20130926_Esty_Rail Hearing Request.pdf
