Metro-North set to get surveillance cameras

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board will discuss on Wednesday whether it should approve installing surveillance cameras on 2,064 Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road cars.

An MTA committee endorsed the $34.6 million plan Monday, after the National Transportation Safety Board recommended installing cameras in February. Cameras will film track activity but also will be installed in control rooms to keep a watchful eye on engineers.

Additional cameras will be installed in passenger areas, which the MTA said would be a safety measure that could act as a crime deterrent. Metro-North trains have been involved in several accidents in the last two years, including a fatal derailment in the Bronx after which the operator admitted to investigators he had nodded off at the wheel.

The MTA put out a request for proposals in March and a selection committee chose 4D Security Solutions for the LIRR at a cost of $16.7 million and Sepsa North America for Metro-North trains at a cost of $17.9 million.