Blumenthal Statement on MTA Inspector General's Report on Metro-North

(Hartford, CT) – Today, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) issued the following statement after the release of a report by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) Inspector General on Metro-North:

“The Inspector General’s conclusions are alarming and astonishing. The latest report reveals years of improper oversight of switching and signaling systems, non-existent record keeping, and woefully lax management. We know all too well what happens when Metro-North ignores safety – the system falls apart, like the rail that deteriorated and cracked, causing two trains to collide in Bridgeport in 2013. After so many incidents in recent years, Metro-North should not need another wake-up call. Unacceptably, the railroad’s lack of focus on safety continues today, years after this was first brought to the attention of leadership at MTA and Metro-North. Safety and reliability require supervision systems that set priorities, assign crews to carry out the necessary work, and track the status of these jobs through modern technology. These systems should have been instituted long ago, and I demand that the railroad establish such common sense, safety measures immediately.”

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