Mayor Eddie Sundquist is hoping to establish better communication with railway companies and ensure the safety of the Jamestown community as part of the bipartisan Railway Safety Act.

Sundquist explained that the Railway Safety Act that is currently “coming up” in Congress is in response to the “record amount” of train derailments that have occurred in recent years across the United States. He said the National League of Cities, which helped organize the recent lobbying session in Washington D.C., recognizes the issue of railway safety as a top priority for cities throughout the country, especially since railway routes are an important part of cities like Jamestown. He added that Norfolk Southern has a railway that runs through the city.

“The ability for us to ensure that our railways are safely tested, that there are plans in place and to communicate with our rail companies is really important, because whether we like it or not, although truck transportation is huge for moving goods and people, rail is still a huge component,” he said. “We as a country have allowed railroad companies to really do whatever they want with these rail lines, and so we have to rein that in.”

From his perspective, Sundquist said the “record number” of train derailments so far this year highlights the need for railways to be safe, for plans to be made to reduce risks for communities with railroads and for a federal plan to be put in place, rather than “state-by-state” or “locality-by-locality” plans.

Asked how the legislation package would potentially impact Jamestown if it is approved through Congress, Sundquist said the legislation includes railway inspection, a process for cities and communities to be able to notify railway companies whenever there are issues or incidents with railways and requires railway companies to have plans in the event of a train derailment.

Based on personal experience with railway companies, Sundquist said it is “incredibly difficult” to communicate effectively with the railway companies that operate through Jamestown, which he said is problematic if there are issues with the railroad tracks. As an example of a situation where the city had to communicate with a railway company, Sundquist said the Royal Upholstery fire exposed rail lines to “extreme heat and debris” due to its proximity to the railroad tracks.

“It is quite a challenge to get a hold of all of the rail companies to get them to not only fix and test those rails but ensure that they’re able to continue to be used,” Sundquist said. “I think this will make it more accessible to be able to reach our rail companies, but also ensure that rail companies have a plan to utilize some of their incredible profits they’re making to ensure that our rail lines are safe.”

While Sundquist said he is currently “unsure” if the legislation will ultimately pass Congress, he indicated that there seemed to be “a lot of support” for the legislation among both Democrats and Republicans.

“Although I was the one mayor kind of representing Western New York, we had over 800 elected officials on the hill that one day, and we were all really pushing our elected officials or our representatives for rail safety,” he said.