Are The Tracks Really Being Fixed?
by Doug La Rocque
For about a year a section of the Pan Am Railways track along Railroad Avenue have been a point of concern, as residents, town and village officials have reported it to be undermining and actually moving when trains pass over it. In response, train speed limits throughout the village have been lowered to no more than 18 miles per hour. While that may lessen the possibility of some sort of mishap, it has also served to back up traffic in the village at rail crossings, particularly during peak traffic times.
Rensselaer County Legislator Bruce Patire and Hoosick Town Councilman Jerry McAuliffe Sr. have been very vocal about their concerns, asking repeatedly when the track might be repaired and expressing their fear there could be some sort of accident at the site, possibly catastrophic.
Councilman McAuliffe indicating the freight trains that pass through there often carry both propane and
oil cars, that if derailed and ignited, would wreak havoc on an area that in the summer if full of young ballplayers, the village highway garage and water system. Mr. Patire said he has gone up the chain of command in the New York State Department of Transportation, who promised to send a inspector to the site. When he asked for a copy of the report, he was told he would have to file a Freedom of Information Request, which he tells The Eastwick Press he did on his legislative letterhead. Mr. Patire further said he was told to expect a response in 45 days, but that timeframe has long since passed. His subsequent inquires were met with a response that blamed the COVID-19 outbreak for the delay. Mr. McAuliffe says they have now been promised a response by December 24. If that response contains a detailed inspection report remains to be seen.
In the meantime, the workers that were observed on Tuesday, were not on site Wednesday morning. There were railroad employees a short distance away, who would only say they were laying new rails.
The Eastwick Press left a message with Pan Am Railways asking for an explanation, but as of press time, it had gone unanswered. So has the troublesome section of railway, that is of serious concern to many nearby residents, been fixed, or will it be soon? It appears that only Pan Am Railways knows the answer, and are apparently not talking.