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“Numerous safety initiatives, both implemented and underway, and our ongoing, aggressive track maintenance program are paying off as reliability increases, slowly but surely,” Railroad President Joseph Giulietti said in a statement to the Metro-North Committee of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board. “It is critical that we bring our infrastructure to a state of good repair and that we continue to focus each and every employee on the importance of safety as our core value.”
Despite a number of problems, the railroad achieved record ridership in 2014 carrying a projected 84.7 million customers, higher than the previous record of 83.6 million set in 2008, and a 1.4 percent increase over 2013.
Giulietti also set the on-time performance goals for 2015 at 93 percent for trains operating during peak times and at peaks and 92 percent for off-peak trains.
The slightly lower goal for off-peak and weekends is because off-times are when most track work is performed.
In 2014, Metro-North achieved an overall on-time performance of 91.5 percent.
Metro-North said Customer complaints in 2014 dropped 30 percent overall through December and complaints about late and cancelled trains dropped 60 percent.
Other improvements and highlights from 2014 include:
- Railroad workers replaced 42,500 crossties on all three lines, re-surfaced 83 miles of track across all lines resulting in upgrades to 20 miles of right of way, including drainage improvements.
- Three highway grade crossings were renewed at Chippawalla Road and Pleasant Ridge Road on the Harlem Line and at Manitou Road on the Hudson Line.
- Workers replaced 7,000 feet of continuous welded rail on six curves on the Hudson Line.
- Steel repairs were made to four under grade bridges and timber bridge decks were replaced on nine bridges east and west of the Hudson River.
- New timber ties were installed at the Harlem River Lift Bridge, that connects Manhattan and the Bronx.
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