CSX East Rochester, NY derailment - 1/16

Broken rail...

East Rochester mayor to CSX: Please slow down

Erica Bryant
Staff writer

(February 23, 2007) — EAST ROCHESTER — East Rochester Mayor David P. Bonacchi called on CSX to lower the speed of its trains after CSX revealed Thursday that the Jan. 16 derailment was caused by a broken rail.

Bonacchi wants trains that travel through East Rochester to go no faster than 30 miles per hour. No one was injured in the Jan. 16 incident, the town's second derailment in 40 years, but "next time maybe somebody may be killed or injured," he said.

Gary Sease, a spokesman for CSX, said that the company would take the mayor's request under consideration. Based on the kind of track that runs through East Rochester, the Federal Rail Administration has authorized speeds of up to 60 mph.

CSX said the derailment was caused by an internal rail crack that didn't show up on previous electronic screenings and was not detected by a visual inspection the day before the accident.

Don Solarek, whose car was crushed by rail cars that came tumbling into his yard on South Lincoln Street, would like to see the speed of trains decrease. "Some of those freight trains just barrel right through here," he said.

Solarek is still trying to get estimates on the damage to his property so he can submit claims to CSX.

The town has received $30,000 in cleanup funds from CSX and has asked for $6,700 more.

Reduced speed, not likely to happen. Although at present track 2 has a 25 mph temp. speed restriction due to the track panels used to repair the line after derailment. These will most likely remain untill weather breaks and a work session scheduled to lay new rail, and tamp stones.

That just proves those people have no understanding of the forces at work when a moving train comes to a sudden stop. If you don't like the chance of a boxcar landing in your yard, don't live by the tracks.

Was it me I'd tell them to right it and leave it there - if the city doesn't like it I'll sell it for scrap myself and recoup some of the damages that way.

So, has CSX recovered from the derailment in East Rochester? Is there still a slow order posted? I imagine that by now it has been removed, but you never know, due to the installation of panel track in that area.

roadster wrote:Although at present track 2 has a 25 mph temp. speed restriction due to the track panels used to repair the line after derailment.

Um...did you uh...well, there it is.