NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — A blistering new Federal Railroad Administration report claimed that the Metro-North Railroad has allowed its emphasis on trains’ on-time performance to “routinely” overshadow its safety operations.
“Metro-North has emphasized on-time performance to the detriment of safe operations and adequate maintenance of its infrastructure,” said the report released Friday. “Metro-North must never compromise safety in the interests of the reliability of its train schedule or the efficiency in its railroad operations.”
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The inquiry was prompted by a Dec. 1 derailment in the Bronx that killed four passengers and injured about 70 others when the engineer approached a the dangerous Spuyten-Duyvil curve going 82 miles per hour. But it delves into a wide range of operations at the railroad, which serves north suburban areas up along the Hudson Valley, as well as Connecticut.
The report, called “Operation Deep Dive,” said employees reported pressure from the railroad’s operations control center to rush when responding to signal failures; workers had trouble getting needed track time to make essential repairs; and cellphone use by track workers “appeared to be quite commonplace.”
As CBS 2 Political Reporter Marcia Kramer reported Friday, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) was furious about the report.
“There are many specific findings that made my skin crawl,” Schumer said.
The agency charged that Metro-North pressures workers “to rush when responding to signal failures,” that workers had difficulty securing track time to perform necessary repairs, and that “commonplace” cellphone use by track workers while on the job created dangers.
“I think this report has pinpointed the problem,” Sen. Charles Schumer said. “They care about things that are not as important as safety and make them a higher priority. A good railroad puts safety at the top of the list.”
Schumer reacted to the report along with U.S. Sen Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who said the Metropolitan Transportation Authority needs to target the people responsible for the derailments and deaths.
“Safety culture means accountability when you screw up. And until the people who screw up are held accountable, safety culture won’t happen,” he said.
In addition to the Bronx crash, the report cited a May 17, 2013 derailment in Bridgeport, Conn. that injured more than 50 people, some seriously, and cost “millions” in property damage; a May 28, 2013, accident in West Haven, Conn., that killed a Metro-North worker; and a July 18, 2013 freight train derailment in the Bronx that resulted in “significant” property damage.
The FRA added that it “is encouraged by the many good employees” who met with investigators. “Their dedication and desire to turn Metro-North into a safe, professional railroad serving the citizens of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut will provide Metro-North’s new leadership with a solid foundation upon which to make immediate improvements and effect long-term cultural exchange.”
