Still more Friday morning rail news:
Woman suffers minor injuries after being shoved in front of subway train; man charged with attempted murder
A woman suffered only minor bumps and bruises after being shoved onto the tracks in front of an oncoming New York City Transit subway train, even though the first two cars of the train passed over her. WNYW-TV reports a 24-year-old man was charged with attempted murder, assault, and reckless endangerment Thursday after the incident at the Union Square station. Firefighters cut power to the tracks and rescued her from beneath the train. MTA NYC Transit interim president Sarah Feinberg said the attack was “horrible” and showed the city needs to do a better job of handling those with mental illness. Gothamist reports the incident happened about 8:30 a.m., and that an NYPD representative called her “a very lucky woman.”
Senators introduce legislation to address blocked grade crossings
U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Transportation and Safety, has been joined by three other senators to introduce legislation addressing blocked railroad grade crossings. Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Jerry Moran (R.-Kan), and Gary Peters (D-Mich) are also sponsoring the legislation. The bill would require the Federal Railroad Administration to analyze submissions to its Blocked Crossing Incident Reporting portal and provide the results to Congress, which would use them to develop policy to address the issue. The bill also requires the Federal Highway Administration to evaluate an existing grade crossing program to identify ways to support state efforts to improve crossing safety. More information is available here.
Amtrak, partners study new station for Brattleboro, Vt.
Amtrak is in discussions with the Town of Brattleboro, Vt.; state of Vermont, and New England Central Railroad on a proposal for a new Brattleboro station. An Amtrak press release says the project would include a new station building, level boarding platform, and changes to the track layout. These and other features — including ramps to the platform level, a new waiting room, and covered outdoor seating — would make the structure compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The station is served by Amtrak’s Vermonter.
