MTA eyes policy barring passengers from engineer's cab
The president of the Long Island Rail Road is taking steps to reinforce regulations barring unauthorized people from riding in a train engineer's cab, following allegations that a LIRR conductor allowed a passenger to operate a diesel locomotive earlier this month.
At Wednesday's meeting of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Long Island Committee, Helena Williams, LIRR president and interim MTA chief executive, announced that she will be issuing a "policy statement and directives" to engineers reminding them of the railroad's policies regarding engineer cab safety.
Those regulations dictate that engineers wear identification badges at all times, prohibit passengers or any other unauthorized person from being in the cab, and prohibit an engineer from leaving his cab door open.
The measures come as officials investigate allegations that an engineer allowed a passenger to operate a train from Hicksville to the Hunterspoint Avenue station in Queens on July 2.
"I believe this is a stand-alone incident," said Williams, who called the LIRR's train crews "a very dedicated and professional workforce."
The LIRR has suspended the engineer, identified by MTA sources as Ronald Cabrera, pending the outcome of an internal disciplinary hearing, expected to take place next month. Authorities still are searching for the unidentified passenger said to have operated the train.
Cabrera has not been available for comment. The Brotherhood of Local Engineers and Trainmen, the union that represents Cabrera, has declined to comment on the matter.
Ira Greenberg, the LIRR Commuters Council representative on the MTA board, said he believes LIRR engineers have a "commitment to safety," but he said he has seen them operate trains occasionally with the door of the cab open so they could converse with someone outside.
"Any distraction is a bad thing," said Greenberg, who applauded the LIRR for taking steps to reinforce its policies for engineers. "I think it's the appropriate response. The training, the instruction, the reminding need to be done all the time, because people become comfortable - over-comfortable."
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