6 times • FEBRUARY 11, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com STILL OFF TRACK CURES is looking for New York and Atlantic Railway to improve operations throughout the communities. BY ANTHONY GIUDICE [email protected] @A_GiudiceReport After a tumultuous summer with several railroad problems, Civics United for Railroad Environmental Solutions (CURES) is looking for a better and safer way to transport freight by rail through the area. The civics organization made a presentation at the Ridgewood Property Owners and Civic Association (RPOCA) meeting on Feb. 4, highlighting the need for better safety measures to be implemented on the tracks, cleaner engines, closed-top train cars and cleaner waste management facilities. Last summer, New York and Atlantic Railway (NYA) was the focus of a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) safety review after one of their trains sped through an intersection in Maspeth and caused a fiery collision with a tractortrailer. CURES wants to see the FRA recommendations from the safety sweep incorporated into NYA’s annual safety action plan. While NYA operates on the tracks at the Fresh Pond Railyard in Glendale, the tracks themselves and the locomotives are owned by the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). “The Long Island Rail Road like to say they are out of the freight business, but they really aren’t,” said John Maier, who is a member of both the RPOCA and CURES. “It’s all of their resources. They lease the locomotives … those locomotives are very polluting and actively engaged in adding some detrimental environmental conditions here” in terms of sound pollution and more. CURES wants to see the LIRR to take a more active role in NYA’s dealings, especially when it comes to procuring new Tier 4 engines. Tier 4 is a federal level designation on what kind of pollutants a diesel engine can put into the air. Currently, locomotives are outfitted with antiquated engines that meet the standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for 1970s locomotives and continue to give off toxic emissions. Last year, $3 million was RIDGEWOOD TIMES/File photo secured in the state budget to outfit one locomotive with a Tier 4 engine. This followed $6 million which was secured in the prior two budgets for the retrofitting of two other engines. None of these new engines have hit the tracks yet. CURES has also been fighting to get covers for opentop railcars that transport construction and demolition debris to prevent the sometimes hazardous materials from polluting the air. “These cars are open containers, so they are basically open to the elements,” Maier said. “If it rains, they’re just like a giant teapot, stewing with all kinds of vectors like mosquitoes and flies.” Not only are open-top railcars a concern, the open facilities where the trains go to collect and drop off the waste need to be improved, according to CURES. CURES would like to see New York State regulate these facilities and mandate that they are four-sided, closed buildings where potentially harmful debris cannot escape, and make sure that the waste is put into lidded cars before being sent through the communities. “That’s what we’re trying to emphasize: the fact that the MTA and LIRR really needs to take ownership of this and become more active players and responsible for all that’s happening with their railroad,” Maier said. Glendale group feeling bad vibrations over railroad line BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI [email protected] @RidgewoodTimes The Glendale Property Owners Association (GPOA) is not yet on board with recently presented plans regarding changes on the Long Island Rail Road’s Montauk branch through the area. The rails, which are currently being used by New York and Atlantic Railway (NYA) to transport freight, were the focus of debate at the group’s monthly meeting on Feb. 4 at St. Pancras Pfiefer Hall. Attendees discussed the already disruptive freight activity and were unsettled by reports that the NYA wished to increase it. “It’s not so much the noise — it’s a little bit the noise — but the vibration,” said Brian Dooley, GPOA president. “When you’re putting that much weight on these rail tracks, and going by, you can rattle the pictures off the wall.” Another attendee voiced air quality concerns, and suggested that a study be done on how an increase in freight activity will affect the air in the area. The group also focused on a second plan for the Montauk branch from Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley, who proposed creating a light rail line along the tracks between Glendale and Long Island City. Concerns were raised over expenses related to such an endeavor, and whether the line could accommodate both a passenger light rail and heavy freight activity. Crowley’s representative at the meeting, Amanda Farias, defended the lawmaker’s proposed plan, stating that it is a proactive effort on her part to combat the freight company’s desire to increase traffic across the lines. Farias also pointed out that the rails were used for LIRR passenger service in the past, and stated that they have been evaluated and are “still in perfect condition to be used as a commuter rail.” “In order to accommodate both the commuter rail and the freight, they’ll have to implement temporal separation, which accommodates both the heavy freight and the commuter services,” Farias said. Despite heavy criticism, many in attendance recognized that either approach would have its benefits and detriments. “It seems to me that there is a natural conflict between the freight and the commuter. And I think, eventually, it might turn out to be one or the other,” Dooley said. “There’s always consequences to whatever the trade-off is. We just need to think about them.” Community leaders in Ridgewood call for freight rail reform “These cars are open containers, so they are basically open to the elements,” Maier said. “If it rains, they’re just like a giant teapot, stewing with all kinds of vectors like mosquitoes and flies. — John Maier, who is a member of both the RPOCA and CURES
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