Calls for change continue nearly a year after the deadly Metro-North crash in Valhalla.
On the evening of Feb. 3, 2015, a Metro-North train packed with commuters struck an SUV at the Commerce Street intersection in Valhalla. It is still unclear if it was a driver error or a grade crossing malfunction.
Rep. Nita Lowey says that since the accident, federal funds have been appropriated to provide more resources, including sharing data with mapping applications so drivers know they are approaching grade crossings.
"We must continue working together to ensure these crashes don't devastate more lives," she says.
However, in Valhalla, Federal Railroad Administrator Sarah Feinberg says that to her knowledge, nothing has been done physically to change equipment that remains at the deadly crossing.
Other elected officials say public safety campaigns are in place for both passengers and engineers, and more recommendations could come once the investigations are complete.
"We can do things better and smarter, just by getting organized and just by having better procedures and just by having tighter requirements on how trains move through those areas," says Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney.