Lackawanna Coalition

advocating for rail passengers since 1979

Author: John Bobsin

  • Super Bowl Transit Plans Emerge

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    John Bobsin

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    Super Bowl 2014 at the MetLife Stadium in the Jersey Meadows on February 2 promises to set new records in public transportation, or perhaps in gridlock, which organizers hope to avoid.  This won’t just be any game at the Meadowlands, according to reporting by Nate Schweber in The New York Times (Dec. 10). For one…

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  • Train Late? MTA Writes Excuse Notes

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    John Bobsin

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    If your subway train is late in New York, your boss may not understand, and a note from Mom may not further your career.  However, in New York City, there’s an alternative: the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will be happy to write the excuse note, and Mom won’t have to after all. Over the last…

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  • Safety Board Reports on Crash Investigation

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    John Bobsin

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    The National Transportation Safety Board’s on-site team investigating the December 1 fatal crash on Metro-North Railroad has completed its initial work and has returned to Washington; it may return to gather additional information.  On December 9, it released a report on progress so far:  Inspection of the train that crashed has uncovered no mechanical anomalies;…

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  • Equip Trains with Safety Cameras (Lawmakers)

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    John Bobsin

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    If several area lawmakers have their way, trains nationwide would be fitted with surveillance cameras that would record what the train engineer does and the track ahead.  Sen. Charles Schumer of New York and Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut joined in a news conference at Manhattan’s Grand Central Terminal on December 8 to make the…

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  • Feds Order Emergency Rules on Metro-North

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    John Bobsin

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    The Federal Railroad Administration issued an emergency order on Friday, December 6, ordering Metro-North Railroad to implement enhanced safety practices at certain track locations, according to reporting by Matt Flegenheimer in The New York Times (published online, Dec. 6).  The order appears to apply to locations where the speed limit decreases by more than 20…

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  • Fatigue Widespread in Rail Industry

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    John Bobsin

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    Fatigue or engineer inattention appears to be a contributing factor in the Metro-North commuter train crash on December 1 that killed 4 passengers and injured 67, some seriously.  The engineer’s lawyer has said that the engineer “zoned out” before the crash, becoming fully awake only when it was too late to slow for the 30-mph curve…

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  • Push-Pull Train in Crash Lacked “Alerter”

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    John Bobsin

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    The common operation of “push-pull” trains by railroads again came under investigation as it was revealed that the control cab at the front of the Metro-North train that crashed on December 1 did not have an “alerter” system in use.  Such a system monitors the engineer’s actions and, if he or she does nothing for…

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  • Americans Driving Less: Study

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    John Bobsin

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    Analysis of date from the Federal Transit Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, and the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that Americans are driving less and using mass transit (and bicycles) more in 2013, compared to 2004 data; the peak of American driving, in miles per capita, peaked in 20014, according to reporting in USA Today (Larry…

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  • “Highway Hypnosis” May Have Caused Rail Wreck

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    John Bobsin

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    According to the lawyer for the engineer who was running the Metro-North train that crashed on December 1, killing 4 passengers and injuring many others, the engineer experienced a momentary loss of awareness as he was zooming down the rails in a 70-mph speed zone; the train apparently failed to reduce speed in time as…

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  • Wreck Recalls Past Jersey Train Disasters

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    John Bobsin

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    Rail safety has greatly improved in recent decades, but the fatal Metro-North derailment on December 1 has brought back memories of past train wrecks in New Jersey, as recounted by Matt Flegenheimer in the Star-Ledger (Dec. 2).  Perhaps the worst was way back in 1958, when 48 commuters perished as a Jersey Central Railroad train…

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