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Blumenthal Slams Metro-North As NTSB Report Details Causes Of Accidents

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. -- The National Transportation Safety Board released a report Tuesday morning that detailed the probable causes of five major incidents involving Metro-North over the last year. 

The National Transportation Safety Board released a report detailing the conditions that helped lead to five accidents for Metro-North in the last year.

The National Transportation Safety Board released a report detailing the conditions that helped lead to five accidents for Metro-North in the last year.

Photo Credit: Fairfield Police Department Facebook Page

The NTSB provided specific details on all five incidents, including the derailment and subsequent collision of two trains on the Bridgeport/Fairfield border last year and the death of worker Robert Luden, who was struck by a train while working on the tracks near the West Haven Station. 

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D- Conn.) released a statement putting both Metro-North and the Federal Railroad Administration to task and appeared in a press conference at Grand Central Terminal. 

“This report shows in new depth and detail a railroad in disarray, equipment in disrepair and a safety agency in a sleep-like daze. Inspections were missed, and warning signs were disregarded again and again and again," Blumenthal said in a statement. "The report is a powerful indictment of the FRA’s lack of oversight and the safety failures at MTA and Metro-North. The painful, shameful truth is that Robert Luden would be alive today if the FRA had been doing its job,"

The other three incidents cited in the report were the fatal derailment at Spuyten Duyvil; the death of Metro-North electrician James Romansoff, who was killed while repairing tracks in Harlem; and the derailment of a CSX freight train in New York state. 

In each incident, common flaws were found including: inadequate or ineffective track inspection; substandard safety oversight; lack of safety procedures and protocol for workers; deferred maintenance issues; and lack of crash safety on passenger cars. 

Along with New York Sen. Charles Schumer, Blumenthal authored legislation to overhaul and better enforce safety and reliability laws as well as improve the conditions that the NTSB report claims led to the five major incidents. 

“This report confirms the concerns that I raised with Metro-North leadership regarding their business practices well over a year and half ago," Gov. Dannel Malloy said in a statement. "Since then, much has been accomplished, but it will take an ongoing commitment to ensuring a safety culture in the organization as well as investing in the essential safety, maintenance and training resources at Metro-North.  

"The Department of Transportation has been working diligently with Metro-North on the performance improvement strategies, and the State of Connecticut has ensured them that we will provide the necessary resources to achieve a safe and reliable railroad.” 

Some of the investments include implementing Positive Train Control and video and audio recording devices as recommended by the FRA.

Connecticut Transportation Commissioner James Redeker cited several examples of actions taken to address the safety culture of the organization. Train schedules were revised to ensure adequate time for track maintenance, testing and training programs have been revamped, a new Office of System Safety was created, a System Safety Plan has been developed, the close-call reporting system is being implemented, and there is clear evidence of communicating safety messages across the organization.  

“We will continue to work with Metro-North on delivering safe and reliable service,” said Redeker.  “That is what the customers and taxpayers of Connecticut deserve.”

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