New Website Aimed At Empowering Metro-North Commuters Following Recent Issues
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) - A train commuter advocate has launched an online effort to bring power to commuters who ride Metro-North's New Haven line.
Jim Cameron says the Commuter Action Group is encouraging commuters to immediately report problems such as late trains and lack of heat directly to the railroad and copy the complaint via email to their elected official. Complaints will also be tweeted to Metro-North and elected officials.
New Website Aimed At Empowering Metro-North Commuters Following Recent Issues
"What I'm trying to do is to use the power of the Internet and social media to really empower commuters so that they aren't just going to sit on a train griping to themselves but they can actually give feedback to the people that can affect change," said Cameron. "It's designed to give commuters the power when they're on the train, if they see something's wrong to just open up this website, fire off a complaint not only to Metro-North but also to their elected officials."
LINK: Commuter Action Group
Cameron, formerly of the Connecticut Rail Commuter Council, said commuters are fed up after recent derailments, service outages and stranded passengers.
"We've been yelling and screaming about these issues, obviously, for many years. But in the past year, it has just gone from bad to worse. The railroad is not responsive. It just seems to be developing a culture of obfuscation and lack of clarity," Cameron told 1010 WINS.
The campaign comes after a train derailed in New York in December that killed four passengers and a derailment in May in Bridgeport that injured 73 passengers. Passengers were stranded twice last week by a power outage and downed wires.
A railroad spokeswoman declined comment.
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