Cohen, Engel, Klein and Dinowitz Urge Metro-North to Implement NTSB Recommendations

  Council Member Andrew Cohen, Congressman Eliot Engel, State Senator Jeff Klein and Assemblyman Dinowitz have called on Metro-North to adopt the recommendations put forward by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the aftermath of the Metro-North train derailment in Spuyten Duyvil this past December.

Last week, NTSB’s Chairwoman Deborah Hersman released a five-page preliminary report which reviewed the accident where four people died and dozens of others were injured.  The recommendations include installing permanent speed restriction signage to alert operating crews of areas where any significant decrease in speed exists and installing inward and outward facing cameras and audio recorders to ensure that crews are operating in accordance with appropriate regulations and procedures.  According to the NTSB’s report the recorded images and sounds should be reviewed routinely to identify unsafe behaviors and allow for corrective practices to be implemented before accidents occur.

Council Member Andrew Cohen said, “I support the recommendations put forth by Chairwoman Hersman as this is a good first step in improving safety with our mass transit.  I urge Metro-North to implement these recommendations immediately to help protect all commuters.”

Congressman Eliot Engel said, “The Metro-North train derailment was a tragedy that must never be repeated. The recommendations from National Transportation Safety Board are simple, straight-forward and should be implemented without delay.  The NTSB report also notes that inward-facing image recorders may be able to detect and address worker fatigue.   Metro-North should further explore this potential.”

Senator Jeff Klein said, "In the wake of the devastating Metro-North train derailment in Spuyten Duyvil late last year, it is clear new safeguards need to be adopted to prevent such a horrific event like this from happening again. The recommendations suggested by the National Transportation Safety Board are essential steps in keeping operators, riders and members of our local communities safer. I commend the NTSB for submitting their recommendations and look forward to working together to implement additional safety measures they identify during their investigation."

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said, "The horrible accident that took place December 1st, 2013 was both tragic and avoidable. It is crucial that we ensure that such an accident never takes place again, either at Spuyten Duyvil or any place else. The recommendations of NTSB should be implemented immediately. People who take any form of mass transit should never be in fear of injury or loss of life".