Commuters' Group Concerned About Year of Accidents

By Lanning Taliaferro

The leaders of the Metro-North Railroad Commuter Council issued a statement late Dec. 1 expressing their sadness over the deaths and injuries from the morning's derailment and their concern that it is the fourth big problem for Metro North this year. 

Here is the statement:

The Metro-North Railroad Commuter Council (MNRCC) is greatly troubled by this morning's derailment of a New York-bound Hudson Line train. This incident is particularly concerning in view of three major incidents that have occurred on Metro-North during 2013, including the May 17 derailment of a New Haven Line train that resulted in a collision of two trains near Bridgeport, Connecticut, the May 28 death of a track foreman that occurred when a train was erroneously routed onto a track under repair, and the July 18 derailment of a CSX freight train at a location near today's derailment.

The MNRCC calls for a prompt investigation into the cause of today's incident and for the MTA and the Metro-North Railroad to take all necessary steps to ensure that the risk to their passengers from similar failures is minimized.

 “The riders whom we represent must be assured they are safe when they travel on a Metro-North train, but their confidence in the Railroad has been shaken. Metro-North management must act decisively to ensure that incidents like those that the failures that have occurred this year do not occur again,” said MNRCC Chair Randolph Glucksman.

The MNRCC extends its deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in this morning's derailment and its wishes for the full recovery of those who were injured in the incident.