N.Y. MTA investing in additional safety measures

New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced a series of new and enhanced safety initiatives to better ensure the safety of its customers and employees. The safety investments are based on new mandates; recommendations by governmental bodies; compliance with existing laws, policies and procedures; and new MTA initiatives, including those supporting New York City’s “Vision Zero” initiative.

The MTA’s 2015 budget includes $84 million in safety initiatives, and safety investments will total $363 million over the entire 2015 to 2018 four-year Financial Plan. The MTA Board will vote on next year’s final Financial Plan in December.

“Safety is the top priority for all of the MTA’s daily operations, and the investments announced today reinforce that emphasis,” said MTA Chairman/CEO Thomas F. Prendergast. “We must continue to promote a culture of safety with customers and employees through training, improved work practices, and investments in technology and equipment.”

Investments will focus on customer and employee safety and training ($46 million per year), increased track and right-of-way inspections and repairs ($21 million per year), upgrades and repairs to signals and signal systems ($8 million per year), and enhanced safety systems and communications with customers and employees ($3 million per year).

An additional $6 million per year has been allocated as both the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad continue their work to implement Positive Train Control. PTC will enhance existing train dispatching and signaling systems by automatically enforcing temporary and permanent speed restrictions and automatically stopping trains at red signals.