Metro-North Railroad , the second largest commuter rail line in the country , has a `` deficient safety culture '' and overemphasizes on-time performance , according to a report released Friday by the Federal Railroad Administration . The review , which comes after a 60-day safety assessment by the U.S. Department of Transportation 's rail agency , said the focus on punctuality `` has had a detrimental effect on safety , adversely affecting the inspection and maintenance of track and negatively impacting train operations . '' Metro-North employees have reported feeling pressure to rush when responding to technical issues or needing more time to make necessary track repairs , according to the report . `` Currently , no single department or office , including the Safety Department , proactively advocates for safety '' at the railroad , and there is no effort to identify or take accountability for safety concerns , the reviews said . Joseph Giulietti , who took over for former Metro-North president Howard Permut in January , responded to the report at Grand Central Terminal on Friday . `` Safety was not the top priority . It must be , and it will be , '' Giulietti said . `` I have a clear message for our customers and our employees : Safety must come first at Metro-North . I will not allow any Metro-North trains to run unless I 'm confident that they will run safely , '' he added . In the report , the Federal Railroad Administration said Metro-North has a poor training and record-keeping system . With 700 new employees hired in 2013 , an effective training program for new and existing employees is critical for safe operations , according to the assessment . `` The emphasis on on-time performance , combined with the increased volume of train activity , appears to have led managers and supervisors to allow inspections , maintenance and employee training to lapse , '' the federal inquiry concluded . Metro-North has 60 days to submit a plan to improve the training program and the effectiveness of its safety department , according to the review . The three-month review was prompted by a derailment on December 1 , 2013 . A Metro-North train of seven cars derailed while traveling from Poughkeepsie , New York , to Grand Central Terminal in New York City . The train was hurtling along at 82 mph , far over the speed limit of 30 mph for that section of track , as it approached a sharp bend in the Bronx . The cars tumbled off the track , killing four passengers and leaving dozens more hospitalized . The lead car came to rest inches from water at the intersection of the Hudson and Harlem rivers . `` We at Metro-North are heartbroken at the loss of life that has occurred on this railroad , '' Giulietti said , adding that Metro-North plans to create a confidential close-call reporting system for employees to report safety issues . Giulietti said that Metro-North officials also have plans to make personnel changes , to buy new equipment and install cameras inside the agency 's trains . `` We have a lot of work ahead of us . But every problem I 've seen here can be fixed -- and will be fixed , '' he said . The December derailment was the fourth serious accident on the railroad since May 2013 . In June , a Metro-North train was sent down a track closed for construction and fatally struck a foreman . In another incident , a Metro-North train derailed and was struck by a train on an adjacent track . More needs to be done immediately to improve safety , said Federal Railroad Administration chief Joseph Szabo in a letter to the head of New York 's transportation authority after the derailment . `` Safety is our top priority , and this in-depth assessment should serve as a wake-up call to Metro-North as they work to make their operations safer , '' said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx . `` Efficiency and on-time performance are important , but they can not come before the safety of every passenger on board or those communities along the system . ''
Federal review says Metro-North places `` overemphasis '' on punctuality before safety . By Michael M. Grynbaum and John Schwartz | The Associated Press NEWARK, N.J. — A federal watchdog agency is accusing the Long Island Rail Road of placing too much weight on its performance in Metro-North official says safety `` was not the top priority , '' but that `` it will be '' Review prompted by December derailment that killed four and injured dozens .