Blue Ribbon Panel Report Provides Framework to Move Metro-North Forward

Press release:

State Rep. Tony Hwang, (R-134), candidate for state Senator of the 28th District, released the following statement about the release of the MTA’s Blue Ribbon Panel report:

“In some ways, the MTA’s report tells us what we already know — that safety has unfortunately taken a back seat at Metro-North — but it also outlines specific steps that must be taken to improve the safety of our rail infrastructure.”

“The economic significance of the railroad — to our regional and national economies, as well as to thousands of families in our district — should be all the reason we need to ensure Metro-North is operating at the absolute highest level of safety and reliability.”

“I have always been a strong supporter in that arena, going all the way back to my freshman year in the legislature — with action, not just rhetoric. Responding to commuters, I helped lead an effort to secure funding to install an overhang on the stairs and platform at the Fairfield Train Station, among many other measurable steps we’ve taken that have had a direct positive impact on safety and the commuting experience.”

“We must do more. The ‘service first, safety second’ culture at Metro-North has already cost people their lives. Let’s enact every one of the Blue Ribbon Committee’s 29 recommendations and make sure that never happens again.”

Currently in his 3rd term in the Connecticut General Assembly House of Representatives for the 134th District, which encompasses portions of Fairfield and Trumbull, state Rep. Tony Hwang is the ranking leader in the Government Administration and Elections Committee and a member of Public Safety & Security Committee and the Insurance and Real Estate Committee. He is a state Senate candidate for the 28th District, which includes the towns of Easton, Fairfield, Newtown, Weston, and Westport.