Metro-North Says Most Safety Upgrades Are Complete
HATRFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The Metro-North Railroad said Wednesday that it has completed most of its priorities to improve safety following a series of accidents last year.
The railroad said in a 100-day action plan released Wednesday it has established an investigation unit to look into the causes of accidents, overhauled a system safety plan and improved employee training programs.
Metro-North said it still must install alerter devices designed to ensure engineers remain responsive.
The Federal Railroad Administration responded after the Dec. 1, 2013 derailment near the Spuyten Duyvil station on the Hudson Line. The derailment killed four people.
That was just one of a series of incidents that prompted Metro-North to review its safety procedures.
The FRA said in a report to Congress in March that Metro-North allowed safety to erode while pushing to keep its trains on time. The agency ordered the railroad to immediately "prioritize safety above all else'' and required Metro-North to submit plans of action within 60 days.
Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said the report has taken longer than he wanted but Metro-North is making itself safer.
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