Susquehanna Railroad Collapsed- Legislature Needs to Act Now

The New York, Susquehanna and Western (NYSW) Railway partially collapsed into the Overpeck Creek in Ridgefield Park on Saturday morning, July 28^th.  One section of the 405-foot bridge collapsed as a train carrying sugar was crossing it. Crews worked to pull the damage car up for the collapsed section of the bridge and partially rest it on the Bergen Turnpike. There were no injuries or spills from the crash, according to police and railroad officials. Overpeck Creek bridge was scheduled for replacement this year. The 100-year-old bridge last rehabilitated in 1985 carries 25,000 cars a year.

“Once again, there is another train accident and this time it is in our backyard. The Susquehanna railroad that collapsed in Ridgefield Park shows that we cannot be playing Russian Roulette with our rail systems. Thankfully the damaged train was only carrying sugar. If that train was carrying Bakken crude oil, it would have destroyed the environment and polluted the community’s water supply just like it did in West Virginia and Iowa.  This shows why the entire rail system is old and needs immediate repair,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “Train Accidents are happening all over and now in New Jersey. We need our state legislators and Governor to support legislation that will make it safer for the communities who have these dangerous train cars traveling through them every day.”

The Overpeck Creek bridge was scheduled for replacement this year. This project was among the 165 transportation improvements statewide that were halted by a 2016 budget stalemate between the state legislature and Governor Christie.  The project is being funded by $4.3 million from taxpayers and about $1.8 million from its owner, the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway.  Overpeck Creek is a tributary of the Hackensack river that runs about 8 miles long and is adjacent to the New Jersey Meadowlands.

“What happened to the Overpeck Bridge could have had far worse consequences. We need our state legislators and Governor to support legislation like S.1883 that will make it safer for the communities who have crude oil train cars travelling through them every day. Not only are they a danger cutting through densely populated communities putting people at risk but can cause an ecological disaster and water supply nightmare. What is even worse is that the Meadowlands power plant proposal is right next to where this train crashed.  A major spill here could destroy drinking water and would have major impacts on the local and regional economy,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.

In Mount Carbon, West Virginia in 2015, a CSX Transportation train was carrying twenty-seven tank cars, each containing about 29,000 gallons of Bakken crude oil that derailed and about half of the tank cars ignited. Residents near the CSX accident described it as being in hell, as if an atomic bomb went off. The explosions and fires destroyed adjacent homes. Local officials declared a state of emergency, nearby water intakes were shut down, and 1,100 residents in the area were evacuated.  On June 25, 2018, 32 train cars carrying crude oil derailed off the tracks in the northwest corner just south of Doon in Lyon County, Iowa.  14 of those train cars dumped an estimated 230,000 gallons of crude oil into floodwaters, with some making its way to nearby rivers.

“If a crude oil train derailment happened near the Oradell Reservoir, Passaic and Delaware River, and supply intakes in Trenton, it would have wiped out our water supply for months. There are 2,400 miles of freight tracks in New Jersey and hundreds of trains a year and now over 70 a month are coming through the state. These trains cut through communities throughout the state like Somerville, Camden, Oradell, West Trenton, Paulsboro, and Newark. It’s not if a disaster occurs; it is a matter of when. That’s why these cars should be banned,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.

Senator Weinberg’s bill, S1883 is an important bill to help prevent disasters from Bakken crude oil trains. The bill requires operators carrying Bakken crude shipments to have discharge response, cleanup, and contingency plans to transport certain hazardous materials by rail. Previous Bakken train derailments have led to train cars setting on fire, homes being destroyed, forced evacuations of entire towns, threatened water supplies, and human casualties.

“We need Senator Weinberg’s bill, S.1883, to move now before we get a spill in New Jersey. We need to make sure there are response and emergency plans if something happens with one of these rail cars at a moment’s notice. These response plans will allow the public to be informed, especially ahead of time to help prepare for an emergency. Senator Weinberg’s train safety bill passed through the Senate and now we need it to pass in the House to get onto Governor Murphy’s desk to sign,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “We need our Assembly members to move fast on this bill. S.1883 will help make it safer for the communities who have these dangerous train cars travelling through them every day.”