: 1170436206

Councilman Eric Gioia (D-Sunnyside) and U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Kew Gardens) announced a federal-city partnership Saturday that will seek to prevent railroad tragedies like the killing of 13-year-old Ari Kraft, who was struck by a train last month after he entered the tracks through a hole in the fence to illegally tag a LIRR structure with graffiti.

The MTA will be awarded $500,000 in federal funds to create a new task force within the agency, the MTA Interagency Fencing Task Force. The group will be dedicated to restricting access to active train lines. According to the MTA, the duties of the task force will include a survey of the current active MTA and LIRR rail lines, and a review of the policing and inspection process. As well, the task force will participate in patrols of commonly accessed areas with the MTA Police Department, and coordinate new fencing possibilities with local government.

According to a spokesman, the task force itself will be made up of senior officials from the MTA, as well as employees of the LIRR and MetroNorth.

In a statement, MTA Executive Director and CEO Eliot Sander said the task force “will not just study these issues, but take appropriate action to rectify any deficiencies in our right of way fencing.”

The LIRR has said previously that it believes education, not fencing, is the most important factor in keeping the public safe near railroad right-of-way. Feasibility issues also prevent fencing on all areas of track, as the entire rail system including MetroNorth would require nearly 3,000 miles of fencing.

Gioia said he thought the new legislation, and the actions of the MTA to create the task force, were steps in the right direction.

“I am confident that this new MTA task force will provide the direction and guidance necessary to improve safety for New Yorkers,” Gioia said in a statement. “I also want the Governor and the MTA to know that I will do my best to identify new resources for the MTA rights-of-way.”

Another important facet of the partnership will be the introduction of “Ari’s Law,” by U.S. Rep. Weiner. As federal legislation creating a railroad safety grant program, “Ari’s Law” would set aside $20 million in federal funds to build fencing near schools and neighborhoods with young children. The law would require local governments to establish watch programs aimed at keeping children off active tracks. The Federal Railroad Administration would begin a study of railroad safety programs, as well.

“Ari’s story is an unfortunate tragedy and just as tragic is the fact that we haven’t done enough to prevent accidents like this from happening,” Weiner said in a statement. “A renewed federal commitment to railroad safety and greater vigilance from local governments is essential.”