U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer said the derailment last month of a Norfolk Southern freight train in Ohio should be a “canary in a coal mine” for much-needed safety improvements and accountability.

The senior Democratic senator from New York on Tuesday detailed a 10-question letter he is sending to every major rail company operating in upstate New York and in the country. He noted the two major rail lines that operate in the state — CSX and Norfolk Southern, both of which run through Chautauqua County from the Pennsylvania border through the Dunkirk-Fredonia area and north toward Buffalo.

“What the letter demands is that each railroad outline exactly what steps they’re going to take to prevent what happened in Ohio from occurring here in upstate New York and explain how they’re improving communication with local governments and first responders to stop a whole bunch of terrible practices,” Schumer said.

His remarks to reporters come following the Feb. 3 derailment of 38 Norfolk Southern freight train cars in East Palestine, in northeast Ohio near Pennsylvania. Several of the train’s cars were carrying hazardous materials that burned, prompting an evacuation of about half the town’s roughly 5,000 residents.

There remains lingering worries among local residents of long-term health impacts.