Albany, NY - May 6, 2015 - “Today we are taking an important step toward making the Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road safer for all riders,” Governor Cuomo said. “With the support of our partners in the federal government, New York is transforming our transit system for the better. By implementing positive train control, the Metro-North and LIRR systems will be smarter and more innovative than ever before, and that will help to actually save lives in the future. I am grateful for the leadership of DOT Secretary Foxx and Acting FRA Administrator Sarah Feinberg on this issue, as well as the support of New York’s congressional delegation – especially Senator Schumer, Congresswoman Lowey and Congressman Maloney – and I look forward to seeing the work get underway.”
At the end of April, the Federal Railroad Administration approved a loan of $967.1 million to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for the improvement of the safety of the signal systems used by the MTA's two commuter railroads, the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad. The loan, which is the largest and lowest-cost financing for the MTA, will finance the installment of positive train control, a technology designed to remove the potential for human error that can lead to train-involved accidents. More information is available here.
