Trent Lott: “Many cities and towns across our country are experiencing conflicts between railroads, motor vehicles, and people for…”

“Many cities and towns across our country are experiencing conflicts between railroads, motor vehicles, and people for the use of limited and increasingly congested space in downtown areas. High density highway-rail grade crossings, even properly marked and gated ones, increase the risk of fatal accidents. Many rail lines cut downtown areas in half while serving few, if any, rail customers in the downtown area. Rail traffic can cut off one side of a town to vital emergency services, including fire, police, ambulance, and hospital services. Downtown rail corridors can hamper economic development by restricting access to bisected areas. Sadly, since September 11, we now must be concerned about freight trains carrying hazardous materials through the middle of densely populated areas being targets of terrorist actions. These problems exist in small and large cities and towns across the Nation. To address this need I introduced S. 948, the Community Rail Line Relocation Assistance Act of 2001.”