Laurel Beager
RANIER - Concerns about blocked crossings and other issues will be brought to the attention of Canadian National Railway's CEO and other officials, pledged U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar Thursday.
Klobuchar met in Ranier, and later at the reconstructed Ericsburg rail bridge, Thursday with a more than a dozen local officials about rail issues outlined in a 17-page report prepared by Koochiching County Engineer Joe Sutherland. The report includes background about traffic in and out of the U.S. via the Ranier lift bridge as well as related issues concerning the rail crossings in Koochiching County. The report included concerns about the rail crossing at County Road 24, known as the Van Lynn Road, and the Ericsburg rail bridge.
"I think it would be helpful if I contact the CEO of CN," she said, adding that the 17-page memo must be streamlined to one page for her use.
As head of the Canadian-American Inter parliamentarian group, "I am very close to the ambassador. Let's figure out who I should talk to," she said.
"If they are not moving on this stuff, let's pick some things that make the most sense - that are big or small, but not too small," she encouraged the group.
At the Ericsburg bridge, which collapsed in May derailing some rail cars and sending some into the Rat Root River, Klobuchar was met by several area residents including Rodney Steele and Ralph Hall who asked her to seek changes to the bridge to allow them to access Rainy Lake by traveling by boat below it. Now, they said it is impassable because of culverts below the bridge.
Klobuchar credited the response of the community to the bridge collapse and said she learned that day that Ranier's port of entry was the busiest rail crossing port of entry in the United States.
"There are a lot of things I want to help you with today," she said.
The report provided to Klobuchar said the Ranier crossing is blocked now from 6.5 to 8.5 hours each day. Should rail container volumes increase as projected over the next three to five years, Sutherland said the duration of the blocked crossing could increase to 9 to 10 hours per day.
Among the suggestions for relief are "continuous pulls" of trains at higher speeds with crew change location changed from the train station to the rail yard, said Sutherland. In addition, he suggested increase the tracks at Ranier to a new double track lift bridge, additional siding tracks and establishment of a quiet zone.
Sutherland's report also credited CN for improvements already made.
Meanwhile, both Ranier Mayor Dennis Wagner and county Sheriff Perryn Hedlund urged Klobuchar to push for the release of rail bridge inspections conducted by rail companies and reviewed by the Federal Rail Administration.
U.S. Sen. Al Franken reported recently that the FRA had assured him the rail bridge in Ranier has been inspected and is safe.
As the group looked at the newly constructed rail bridge at Ericsburg, Hedlund told Klobuchar "This bridge was perfectly safe, too, until it wasn't."
Klobuchar also supported the effort to establish with the state an International Falls chemical assessment team to act on disasters, such as the Ericsburg bridge collapse, regionally.
Klobuchar's stop in Koochiching County was a part of her “Grand County Tour” across northern Minnesota. From East Grand Forks to Grand Marais, she met with community and business leaders from 15 counties over a five-day stretch. Thursday’s “Grand County Tour” also included stops in Roseau, Baudette, Bagley, Red Lake and Bemidji.
Klobuchar, D-Minn., recently announced her provision to help states address blocked rail crossings passed the Commerce Committee as part of a larger bill aimed at improving rail safety. Klobuchar has met with local leaders and emergency responders across Minnesota who say blocked rail crossings hold up traffic — sometimes for hours — isolating parts of communities and delaying emergency vehicles. The provision will ensure the U.S. Secretary of Transportation provides tools and best practices to states to mitigate the safety risks posed by blocked rail crossings.
“Blocked rail crossings not only inconvenience drivers, they delay emergency vehicles and threaten public safety,” Klobuchar said. “As the Secretary of Transportation develops rail crossing action plans for states, my provision would ensure the plans address the dangers of blocked crossings. I look forward to this provision moving forward, and I will continue doing everything I can to improve rail safety across Minnesota and the country.”
The Railroad Reform, Enhancement, and Efficiency Act directs the Secretary of Transportation to develop highway-rail crossing action plans that include accident data for every state. Klobuchar’s amendment will ensure the safety plans also include tools and best practices to help states address the safety risks posed by blocked crossings.
Klobuchar sent a letter earlier this month urging the Department of Transportation to work collaboratively with rail carriers and first responders to establish an information-sharing system that will help communities plan for and respond to rail incidents. As a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, which oversees federal rail issues, she successfully pushed for a hearing last year where she pressed federal rail officials on the need to move forward on critical safety measures to strengthen rail infrastructure and protect communities along rail routes. She also sent letters to the Senate Appropriations Committee calling for increased funding for additional rail inspectors and for a stronger inspection process.
At a Senate Commerce Committee meeting in March, Klobuchar helped pass legislation to improve the efficiency of the Surface Transportation Board and help improve rail service. After a major push from her and Sen. John Thune, R-SD, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a report in March examining the rail service challenges in the Upper Midwest in 2013 and 2014 and the implications these issues had on the region’s agricultural sectors.