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Payne, Jr. Statement on Rail Disruptions in Northeast Corridor

April 5, 2017

WASHINGTON, D.C.Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. (D-NJ), a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following statement on the recent accidents at New York’s Penn Station:

“Our nation’s aging public transit systems, particularly those in the northeast, are in dire need of federal investment. Every day that passes without these investments increases the likelihood of derailments like the ones at Penn Station that injured passengers and caused massive and ongoing service disruptions.

“President Trump promised to make infrastructure a top priority, yet it has been 76 days since he took office, and he has still not presented an infrastructure plan. Federal investment is an absolute necessity to move forward with transportation projects of national significance, like Gateway. The president’s inaction is not only putting these projects at risk, it’s also putting passengers at risk.

“Unless the president prioritizes investments in public transit, and includes funding for the Gateway project in any plan he proposes, we will continue to experience major problems on the Northeast Corridor.”

As a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Congressman Payne, Jr. has prioritized passenger safety. In February, in the wake of the New Jersey Transit train crash in Hoboken, New Jersey, Congressman Payne, Jr. and Congressman Albio Sires (D-NJ) introduced legislation to require the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to notify Congress when a railroad or rail transit agency is being investigated for safety violations by the Federal government.