Rail News: Federal Legislation & Regulation
Gallegly proposes bill to raise cap on Metrolink accident victim compensation

Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Calif.) has proposed legislation that would increase compensation to victims of the 2008 Metrolink accident in Chatsworth, Calif.

Gallegly, whose district is home to most of the accident victims, wants Veolia Transportation to increase the amount in the victims’ compensation fund, which currently totals the statutory cap of $200 million. Veolia was Metrolink’s operator at the time the accident occurred.

Gallegly believes the current amount will not be enough to pay the “real lifetime damages” of accident victims, he said in a prepared statement. He recently added a section on his website with information about the accident and his proposed legislation, he said.

The September 2008 accident, which occurred when a Metrolink train collided with a Union Pacific Railroad train in Chatsworth, killed 25 people and seriously injured 135 others.