Metro-North Railroad has hired a Colorado transportation research and testing firm to assess its maintenance and inspection programs in the wake of the May derailment and the unrelated death of a track worker.
In addition to retaining Transportation Technology Center Inc., which is a subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads, Metro-North has also continued inspections of its rail lines and joints and is exploring solutions to better protect rail workers, according to a letter from Howard Permut, president of the railroad, to members of Connecticut’s congressional delegation.
Eleven days after a May 17 derailment and collision involving two Metro-North commuter trains just outside of Fairfield, Robert Lunden, a track foreman, was struck and killed by a train just after 12 p.m. on May 28. Lunden had been working near the West Haven Metro-North station, which is under construction, and the train had departed from New Haven prior to the incident.
In the letter to Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy and Rep. Jim Himes, Permut said the railroad is continuing to cooperate with the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigations into the two incidents.
“The safety of our customers and our employees is always the highest priority for Metro-North Railroad, and ensuring that we take appropriate steps to identify and mitigate any problems is also of paramount importance,” Permut wrote in the June 10 letter.
Blumenthal, Murphy and Himes, all Democrats, said in a joint statement that they appreciate the steps being taken by Metro-North, urging the railroad to “keep us updated on its progress.”
