Blumenthal Urges Action After NTSB Report Confirms Metro-North Aware of Dangerous Conditions on Track Before May Derailment

(Hartford, CT) – In a letter today to newly-appointed Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Joseph J. Lhota, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) urged renewed commitment to safety after a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed that Metro-North was aware of dangerous conditions on the track prior to a serious derailment near Rye, New York in May.

“We need robust leadership to ensure that this derailment is not an indication that Metro-North is regressing to the dysfunction and disarray that once gripped the railroad,” Blumenthal said. “Metro-North knew about a dangerous condition on a track, but let a train full of passengers go over it anyway, apparently at a high rate of speed. We should be thankful the lack of proper management did not lead to more fatal, catastrophic consequences.”

Warm weather caused a rail “heat kink” that contributed to the derailment of the Metro-North train in Rye. The railroad was reported aware of a warp in the tracks caused by heat and had advised train operators to lower speeds in the area to ten miles per hour. The trail was traveling around 50 miles per hour when it derailed. Positive Train Control technology, which Blumenthal has repeatedly called for, would have automatically slowed the train and prevented the accident that left several passengers injured.

Metro-North President Joseph Giulietti announced last month he intends to retire in August.

Full text of Senator Blumenthal’s letter follows: 

July 3, 2017

Mr. Joseph J. Lhota

Chairman

MTA

2 Broadway

New York, New York  10004

Dear Mr. Lhota:

I write to commend you for your willingness to step forward and lead the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and to seek your commitment that safety at Metro-North Railroad will be made a foremost priority. There are many challenges facing MTA and the vast network it oversees. A key part of that network is Metro-North Railroad, which saw a recent derailment on the New Haven Line that should worry us all. We need robust leadership to ensure that this derailment is not an indication that Metro-North is regressing to the dysfunction and disarray that once gripped the railroad.

In May, a train in Rye, New York just outside Connecticut jumped off the tracks, derailing and causing over a dozen injuries. Last week, the National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary assessment of the incident, confirming many initial reports in the days after the derailment:  Metro-North knew about a dangerous condition on a track, but let a train full of passengers go over it anyway, apparently at a high rate of speed. We should be thankful the lack of proper management did not lead to more fatal, catastrophic consequences. 

I realize this incident predates your arrival, however, it is imperative you use your new office to exert leadership that ensures incidents like this are never allowed to happen. MTA oversees Metro-North and MTA representatives were quoted in press reports last week blaming the train’s engineer. More facts will come out as NTSB completes its investigation, but ultimately, in ensuring safety the buck stops with you. This point is even more salient as Metro-North will see its president retire next month, creating a vacuum within the railroad’s management that makes your leadership even more important. We learned from a spate of disastrous incidents at Metro-North in 2013 and 2014 that it is the management at the top that instills a culture of safety. This must be at the top of your list of action items. And any culture of safety must include a commitment to implementation of Positive Train Control – which can prevent human error from causing crashes and collisions – by the Congressionally-mandated deadline of December 2018. Your familiarity with MTA from your past service should help expedite this process.

I appreciate your commitment to MTA and Metro-North, which tens of thousands of my constituents depend upon daily. Please inform me how you will prioritize safety so incidents like the Rye derailment will not be allowed to recur. I look forward to hearing from you.