HOUSTON – Local leaders are calling on Congress to pass federal rail safety legislation, worried about the possibility of a dangerous derailment in Houston.
More than 100 trains pass through Houston each day, Mayor Sylvester Turner said, calling them not only an inconvenience but also a threat to safety and emergency response.
The city has more than 700 crossings within city limits, leaders said at a news conference Monday morning. The call to action came around the same time as a 31-car train derailment reported in Montgomery County.
“Three trains derail each day in the United States and close to half of trains are reported to be carrying a hazardous substance,” Turner said.
The Railway Safety Act of 2023, a bipartisan bill with President Joe Biden’s support, was introduced after a freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed, spilling toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio.
“What happened in East Palestine could happen in any city, large or small,” Vice Mayor Pro-Tem Martha Castex-Tatum said. “Behind us right here in this neighborhood are some of the nations most frequently blocked rail crossings.”
The bill would require shippers and rail carriers of hazardous materials to reduce or eliminate blocked crossings and create new rules for train size and weight.
Texas had the third most blocked crossing reports between 2019 and 2021, according to the Federal Railroad Administration.
In Houston, blocked crossings are diverting first responders about 90 times each month, fire chief Samuel Peña said.
“Those are emergency responses that are impacted as far as the time it takes us to to get to that emergency,” he said.
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A coffee shop owner next to the rail crossing at 711 Milby Street said delayed and stopped trains blocking the road lead to a loss of business.
“It’s an inconvenience of a few minutes, but it’s still again the quality of life that we’ve expected,” said Roy Lira, who lives in the East End and is chair of the Second Ward Super Neighborhood.
Another safety concern he has witnessed: stranded pedestrians find their way around trains, going through crossing arms and crawling under, when blockages persist too long.
“The concern is obviously death or dismemberment,” Lira said.
He noted that reporting a blocked crossing with the rail carriers is not a quick process, which might be a deterrent for reporting issues.
According to the City of Houston, the city’s East End leads the nation in blocked railroad crossings.
“In the past we’ve had a lot of conversation but no funding. Now, at least we have funding and there are about 700-800 railroad crossings just in the city of Houston alone so there’s no question there is a tremendous need,” said Mayor Turner. “A lot of attention is now being given so all across the country you have cities like the city of Houston, standing up insisting Congress take some definitive action to address this subject.”
The Railway Safety Act passed the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation last week and is awaiting consideration in the full Senate.