RINGGOLD (January 3, 2017) | Senator Jeff Mullis (R – Chickamauga) met with state Representative-Elect Dewayne Hill and Mike Pendergrass, CSX Vice President and Chief Transportation Officer, to discuss the safety and necessary improvements for a railroad crossing and siding track along Graysville Road in Catoosa County.
“The safety of our local citizens is a top priority at this particular crossing and we must do all we can to prevent future accidents,” said Sen. Mullis. “We are working as a team to improve safety and to address any issues with the siding track.”
“Public Safety is always a top priority, railroad safety awareness, included,” said Rep.-Elect Dewayne Hill. “As such, I greatly appreciate our ongoing discussions with CSX Railroad and the time they are taking to meet with us. We are looking into ways we can work together to improve the safety of our crossings, and I am confident that increased safety measures and possible solutions will be found.”
“The safety of the public and CSX employees is our first priority,” said Mike Pendergrass. “We strive to be a good neighbor as we provide safe, reliable freight rail service to the communities of Northwest Georgia.”
The Graysville Road railroad crossing has a siding track which enables trains to swap out or be stored for maintenance incidents. Installing additional signal equipment and associated safety devices was discussed at the meeting. These improvements will add additional safety measures and hopefully prevent future accidents at the crossing.
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For Immediate Release:
January 3, 2017
For Information Contact:
Ines Owens, Acting Director
Ines.owens@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028