MONTREAL – The mayor of a Quebec town devastated by a train disaster is scheduled to raise rail-safety concerns with senior U.S. transport officials and members of Congress next week in Washington, D.C.

Lac-Megantic Mayor Colette Roy-Laroche will be part of a delegation of elected officials from Quebec, New Brunswick and the U.S. on a mission to press their concerns with decision makers working on new rail-security legislation.

Roy-Laroche’s community made global headlines last July when a tanker train loaded with volatile crude oil derailed and exploded in the middle of town, obliterating buildings and killing 47 people.

The crash set off international discussions on rail safety in an era that has seen oil-by-rail shipments multiply in just a few years.

In a statement, Roy-Laroche says the Lac-Megantic disaster serves as a cruel reminder of how inadequate regulations can have catastrophic results, particularly when human and financial losses far surpass the money invested in enforcing the rules.

The delegation says it hopes U.S. lawmakers will take steps to make improvements to infrastructure and rail cars, emergency response and the co-ordination of everything from prevention to reconstruction after a tragedy.

The delegation will be in Washington from March 9-12 and is part of an initiative by the Union of Quebec Municipalities.