Blumenthal Applauds FRA Directive Urging MTA To Implement Immediate Safety Stand Down, Employee Reporting Program

(Hartford, CT) – Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) issued the following statement after the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a directive to the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) that urged the public transportation operator to implement an immediate safety stand down and the C3RS employee reporting program in the aftermath of Sunday’s Metro-North derailment in New York City’s Bronx borough:

“The FRA measures constitute a necessary and welcome first step toward restoring confidence and credibility and protecting the public. A safety overhaul – beginning with a stand down and an employee reporting program – is long overdue, and the railroad should immediately heed and implement these directives.

"Safety stand downs performed routinely decrease the likelihood of human error causing accidents. A C3RS program is a common sense tool to ensure employees can report close calls without disciplinary action. Both directives are critical steps that should have been taken a long time ago by the nation's largest public transportation operator.

"MTA's five recent incidents are completely unacceptable. While these directives are a good first step, I look forward to FRA's additional recommendations.”