Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-10), the highest-ranking Northeastern Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, released the following statement regarding the derailment of Amtrak Northeast Regional Train 188, traveling from Washington D.C. to New York City, and called for a national reassessment of our approach to transportation and infrastructure safety:

“I am deeply saddened by the news of last night’s derailment of Amtrak Train 188, which was on its way to New York City, and caused the deaths of at least six people and injured another 146 passengers. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, families and survivors whose lives have been forever changed by this tragedy. I commend the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Railroad Administration for their quick response to this disaster.

“As we await the results of the full investigation, the tragedy of Amtrak Train 188 shows the importance of a reliable rail system to the Northeast Region. We cannot continue the decades of neglect that have left our system desperately underfunded, and resulted in a multi-billion backlog to bring the system to a state of good repair. It should never require a tragedy to spur action to address the glaring deficiencies in our transportation and infrastructure network. We must act before accidents like these occur.”

“Rail safety is not a luxury; it is of fundamental importance for our citizens and our economy. Thousands of businesses and commuters in the Northeast depend on rail for commerce and transportation every day.  Congress must finally provide the resources necessary for ensuring the safety and reliability of America’s transportation and infrastructure system.”

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