WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) released the following statement regarding Tuesday night’s fatal derailment of an Amtrak train heading from Washington, D.C. to New York City.


“My heart goes out to the victims of last night’s train derailment in Philadelphia. We all owe our thanks to the brave first responders who were on the scene in minutes, whose quick actions and hard work likely saved lives and prevented this from becoming an even bigger tragedy. There must be thorough investigations into what caused the derailment and how such accidents can be prevented,” said Murphy. “But even before last night it was clear that there’s more we can do as a nation to make rail travel safer and more reliable. Millions of Americans rely on rail to travel up and down the Northeast Corridor each year, and yet Congress refuses to make the investments needed to maintain and expand rail lines and safety features. As a member of the Appropriations transportation subcommittee, I’ll continue to work hard on behalf of the Northeast Corridor’s priorities.”