RAYMOND, Minn. – Governor Tim Walz saw for himself the train derailment in Raymond on Thursday.
The Governor’s Office says Walz is Governor is coordinating closely with the United States Department of Transportation, Minnesota Department of Transportation, Minnesota Department of Public Safety, and Homeland Security and Emergency Management to protect the health and safety of the Raymond community. Walz also met with residents and assured them they would have the state’s full support is dealing with this situation.
“I am immensely grateful for the swift, coordinated response between local, state, and national partners to ensure the immediate safety of the Raymond community,” says Governor Walz. “The state’s multi-agency emergency response team will continue working on the ground to ensure health and safety. This incident has highlighted the critical need to invest in rail safety and the state’s emergency management response to prevent incidents like this from happening again.”
Walz says his proposed budget would make significant investments in rail safety and emergency management, including:
$600,000 for rail safety inspectors to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations
Over $300 million in funds to make safety improvements at rail crossings
Over $1 million annually to fund state emergency response assets and ensure response teams are ready to respond across the state when major emergency incidents occur
$40 million in increased funding for the Disaster Assistance Contingency Account to help communities respond to and recover from disasters
$1 million each year to support firefighter training and education
Increasing funding for the Fire Safety Account to ensure fire agencies across the state have sustainable resources to support their work
U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) released the statement below following the train derailment in Raymond:
“Americans should be able to sleep soundly without the fear that they will be woken in the middle of the night and told to evacuate their homes due to a train derailment. I first want to thank our firefighters and first responders for their quick action to help the citizens of Raymond. The Federal Railroad Administration is on the ground and the National Transportation Safety Board is launching an investigation of the derailment. I have spoken with Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as well as Raymond Mayor Ardell Tensen."
"While I am glad that residents are back in their homes, this derailment underscores once again why we must pass federal rail safety legislation. As one of the eight co-sponsors of the bipartisan Railway Safety Act, and a lead questioner of the industry at last week’s Senate Commerce hearing, it is time to put in place higher rail safety standards, more accountability for violations, and better rail infrastructure.”
Klobuchar is a co-sponsor of the Railway Safety Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by Ohio Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and JD Vance (R-OH) following the train derailment in East Palestine in February 2023.
U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) issued the following statement in response to this morning’s BNSF train derailment in Raymond:
“Thanks to the incredible first responders in Raymond and Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, this morning’s train derailment appears to be contained. I’m grateful for their quick response and leadership that kept Minnesotans safe. But today’s derailment is another reminder that Congress needs to act on rail safety now. I’m cosponsoring the bipartisan Railway Safety Act to enact commonsense rail safety measures and help prevent future disasters.”
