Vol. 78/No. 14      April 14, 2014

“Metro-North has emphasized on-time performance to the detriment of safe operations and adequate maintenance of its infrastructure,” the March 14 report by the Federal Railway Administration said.

Metro-North, a subsidiary of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, is the second largest commuter railroad in the country, serving New York, Connecticut and New Jersey, with an annual ridership of almost 83 million people.

There have been several other so-called accidents over the past year. In addition to the Dec. 1 disaster, they include a July 18 freight train derailment on the same curve; a May 17 derailment and collision with another train in Bridgeport, Conn., that injured more than 50 people; and the death of a maintenance worker struck by a train 11 days later in West Haven, Conn.

Just days before the report was issued Metro-North maintenance worker James Romansoff was hit by a train and killed in New York while restoring power to the tracks.

Most of the tracks used by Metro-North in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut were built more than a century ago, and little has been spent to upgrade them. The railway bosses’ drive for profit has led to crew size cuts, speedup and skimping on maintenance.

The report said Metro-North management pushed workers “to rush when responding to signal failures” and didn’t organize to have necessary track repairs done in a timely manner.

Instead of hiring additional workers, the company has been reducing its workforce, while pressuring employees to work “extensive” overtime, the report said. In February the company “had more than 100 vacancies owing to the retirement of maintenance-of-way employees.”

In a statement responding to the report March 14, Metro-North Railroad President Joseph Giulietti admitted that “safety was not the top priority.” He sought to shift focus away from the company’s culpability, calling for “installing cameras in all our trains.” He also pledged Metro-North will put in place Positive Train Control “as quickly as possible,” a move the rail line has resisted for years. According to a federal law passed six years ago all freight and passenger companies are required to put this more extensive automated safety system in place by 2015.
 
 
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