MTA officials: Subway system is safe

After receiving much criticism last month that it had allowed for years of missed and falsified safety tests, the MTA on Monday pronounced their subway system safe and said it will introduce measures to improve their inspection process.

MTA officials said they have performed new signal and track tests in places that have been the most severely neglected, such as lines on Lexington and Seventh avenues.

In addition, they are proposing to update the agency’s inspection database, adding new workers to help with signal tests, shutting parts of some lines on nights and weekends to conduct inspections, and creating teams dedicated solely to signal maintenance. Officials also called for a “culture change” so that workers and supervisors are not pressured to lie about tests or cut corners on them.

“You have to emphasize to people falsification will not be tolerated,” said NYC Transit President Thomas Prendergast.