Feds to investigate rail crossing gates in Rochester

Following an urging from Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and the death of a New York resident at a rail crossing, the Federal Railroad Association (FRA) will be investigating crossing gates in the Rochester area, Schumer said Thursday.

According to the report from Schumer's office, many residents in Rochester reported incidents of the gates lowering when no train was in sight. This has occurred for up to 30 minutes at a time, and over 200 incidents have been reported to 911.

On Monday a fatal accident occurred at the King Road crossing, resulting in the death of one individual who had driven around the gate and was struck by an Amtrak train. Schumer said motorists have become accustomed to malfunctioning rail crossing gates.

“I am pleased that the FRA has so quickly responded to my call for an investigation and will bring their considerable expertise to bear in examining the rail-grade crossing in the Rochester area, including at the very intersection where this deadly accident,” Schumer said. “These gates and signals are meant to protect residents, not condition motorists to disregard and drive around because it is assumed they are not functioning properly. There could be a serious flaw in the system here and these claims must be investigated so we can get to the bottom of this and ensure residents are safe.”

There have been 341 railway crossing incidents between 2005 and 2014 in New York.