U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) recently sent a letter to Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Joseph J. Lhota urging him to make a commitment to safety.
The letter was in response to a National Transportation Safety Board report that found the metropolitan authority was aware of dangerous track conditions prior to a May derailment in Rye, New York.
The Metro-North train, part of New Haven line, had five of its 12 cars derail after a rail warped from high temperatures. Sixteen people were injured.
The condition of the rail was noted the previous day, but the track continued to be used. Instead a speed limit was imposed. Approximately 104 trains were using the track at the time of the accident.
At the time, the accident was reported to be from excessive speed around a curve.
The metropolitan authority should be thankful its lack of proper management didn’t lead to fatalities, Blumenthal said.
“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,” Blumenthal said. “Your familiarity with MTA from your past service should help expedite this process.”
Blumenthal asked Lhota to inform him of how the metropolitan authority will prioritize safety.