Senator Charles Schumer is calling on CSX, Canadian Pacific Railway and other freight carriers to make it loud and clear when they are hauling hazardous materials through communities.
New York's senior senator is urging carriers to expand their notification systems to municipalities. Currently, that system only alerts communities when trains are hauling crude oil and highly flammable liquids. The senator wants communities and first responders to be made aware when other materials, such as chlorine and ammonia, are being transferred through towns by rail cars.
In addition, Schumer is calling for better communication between local and state officials about the transportation of hazardous materials.
The senator said Buffalo avoided a potential disaster in September 2017, when a CPRail train hit a Main Street overpass in the city's densely populated Parkside neighborhood. No one was injured in the accident, and the freight cars involved were empty.
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