Metro-North President Lays Out 100-Day Improvement Plan
HARTFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Metro-North President Joseph Giulietti has given Connecticut's transportation commissioner a preliminary 100-day improvement plan.
Giulietti told Commissioner James Redeker on Monday the first priority is to rebuild a culture of safety.
Metro-North President Delivers Preliminary 100-Day Improvement Plan To Connecticut
Giulietti said Metro-North will re-establish a safety department to enforce safety policies, a data analysis unit to identify positive and negative trends and review and improve programs to train and test employees on their knowledge of safe operations.
He said Metro-North is also working on communicating better and restoring on-time performance.
The railroad is reviewing New Haven, Harlem and Hudson service in an effort to develop a more dependable schedule. A new timetable is expected in May, WCBS 880's Paul Murnane reported.
Giulietti said the railroad has finished signaling upgrades ahead of schedule and are working to finish track work in the Bronx by the end of the month, but everything is subject to ongoing reviews by federal regulators and an MTA panel, Murnane reported.
Giulietti promised at least six meetings with commuters at Metro-North stations and in Grand Central Terminal during the 100-day period.
But Gov. Dannel Malloy in a statement issued Tuesday said the plan of action doesn't go far enough.
"I appreciate the candid assessment of the challenges facing Metro-North and Mr. Giulietti's professionalism and commitment, but I am disappointed that the letter did not provide more specifics. I understand the constraints that Metro-North faces because of the FRA investigation, and while the letter is certainly a roadmap to better and safer service, riders need to know that there is a plan with benchmarks and deadlines in place," Malloy said. "I am holding Metro-North and the MTA to their commitment to implement their 100-day plan by June 11, the promised target date for improvement initiatives, and I fully expect many actions to be completed in advance of that date."
Redeker urged the Federal Railroad Administration to move quickly in their investigation and release recommendations so Metro-North can begin to implement new safety and service measures.
Metro-North was plagued by two derailments -- one that was fatal -- and a power outage last year that limited service on the New Haven line for nearly two weeks.
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