Safety, Fares, Service Quality Among Mounting Metro-North Concerns

, fare hikes, and service quality on Connecticut's Metro-North rail have become hot issues for the MTA and the within the past three months.

Despite recent accidents and on the Metro-North rail, MTA representative Marjorie Anders and CT Rail Commuter Council President Jim Cameron agree that the Metro-North rail is both safe and reliable.

“All of our engineers are highly-trained and follow safety precautions to the letter,” Anders said.

Regarding a recent car vs. train accident in which an , Anders stated “In that case, there were no gates because it was a private crossing. There was a train horn, lights on the ground, and signs. The driver did not obey warnings.”

“The people in these accidents are responsible for these accidents. The trains didn't leap off of the tracks,” Cameron said. “Giving Metro-North props; they're on time 97% of the time.”

However, safety may be the least of commuter concerns, if the Metro-North Commuter Council does speak for the majority of Stamford rail-riders.

“It's not a good time to be a Metro-North commuter,” Cameron said. “Service is obviously not the quality that commuters expect, or the rail wishes to provide.

Cameron cites lack of seats on trains, lack of parking spots in Stamford Station's garage, a “fare increase unjustified by quality”, and unprofessional conductors as primary problems with Metro-North.

“Service has deteriorated the past few years due to aging equipment,” Cameron said. “The new M-8 cars are over a year late.”

, the New Haven line has a total of 26 M-8 cars.

Cameron also alleges that Metro-North conductors can be somewhat rude, as passengers that have complained about seating on trains have been told “you pay for a ride, not a seat.”

Cameron also claims that the Connecticut Department of Transportation's approved 19.25% , which will take effect in January, is the biggest source of discontent among commuters, especially since, according to Cameron, CDOT is to blame for many of Metro North's problems.

“This fare increase is really coming from Gov. Malloy to balance the state budget. It is a tax on commuters, and it's unfair to make commuters pay more for less quality,” Cameron said.

Anders could not comment on the Metro-North fare increase.

While Cameron was quick to point out flaws in Metro-North’s flaws and Anders pointed out its strongest points, neither could offer solutions to perceived problems, or even alternatives.

“Some would take the bus if there was a good enough bus line,” Cameron said. “A bus could compete with the train, but then there's the same problem as driving a car, which is getting stuck on the I-95."

Related Topics: MTA, Metro-North New Haven line, Metro-North Railroad, and new haven line