While the train crash Tuesday in a New York City suburb was the deadliest in Metro-North’s history, experts say the beleaguered railroad likely isn’t to blame.
In October, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) lambasted the railroad as a “horror house of negligence, resulting in injury, mayhem and even death.” The senator was responding to a 10-month period from 2013 to 2014 in which six people were killed, and nearly 125 injured, in five separate accidents and derailments.
But looking at preliminary reports of Tuesday’s deadly crash in Valhalla — which killed six and injured 12 after a train smashed into a vehicle on the tracks — experts say that Metro-North doesn’t appear to be at fault this time. Instead, they said the crash highlights already existing concerns about railway grade crossings — the places where railroads intersect with streets, pathways and highways.
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There are other options that could prevent grade crossing collisions. Ditmeyer said crossings in Europe and Asia have sensors that notify a train if the crossing is blocked, giving the conductor time to stop.
Another option being explored by the Department of Transportation, Ditmeyer said, is outfitting grade crossings with signs counting down to the next train’s arrival.
For Ubaldi, however, the most important thing is awareness. “When the light’s flashing,” Ubaldi said, “stop your car.”
