Back in March Metro-North had a 100 day action plan. When Joe Giulietti took over the company he said safety first and then schedules – but this week we hit the 100 day mark, and some critics in high places saying the company shouldn’t be patting itself on the back just yet.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal has the same messages this week as he did in March. The senator releasing a statement saying he is deeply concerned about the alarming frequency of problems and he comes down on management for improper oversight.
Sen. Blumenthal is trying to raise federal money- $300 million – to make upgrades, especially to the swing bridge over the Norwalk River which caused recent delays.
Gov. Malloy released a statement acknowledging some progress but saying there is much work still to do and remarking progress is taking longer than he’d like.
This is in response to a prepared statement from Metro-North that said customers have seen real accomplishments and faith is being restored in the railroad.
And one final note about that swing bridge in Norwalk. That was the cause of the most recent trouble Metro-North customers encountered. Elected leaders and company officials agree that bridge is in desperate need of attention. It’s 118 years old and was originally designed with a steammotor. Replacements have been postponed in past years by previous administrations. That bridge is now front and center.