• Metropolitan Transportation Authority ~ Meeting of the Metro-NorthI Railroad Committee May 2014 Members J. Sedore, Chair F. Ferrer, MTA Vice Chairman J. Balian R. Bickford J. Blair N. Brown J. Kay S. Metzger C. Moerdler J. Molloy M. Pally A. Saul C. Wortendyke Minutes of the Regular Meeting Metro-North Committee Monday, April 28, 2014 Meeting Held at 347 Maclison j\.venue New York, New York 10017 8:30 a.m. The following members were present: Hon. Fernando Ferrer, Vice Chairman, MTA Hon. James L. Sedore, Jr., Chairman of the Committee Hon. Mitchell H. Pally Hon. Jonathan A. Ballan Hon. Robert C. Bickford Hon. James F. Blair Hon. Norman Brown Hon. Susan G. Metzger Hon. Charles G. Moerdler Hon. John]. Molloy Hon. Carl V. Wortendyke Not Present: Hon. Jeffrey A. Kay Hon. Andrew M. Saul Also Present Hon. Ira R. Greenberg Hon. Mark D. Lebow Hon. Mark Page Hon. James Redeker, Commissioner, CDOT Joseph]. Giulietti - President, Metro-North Railroad Donna Evans - Chief of Staff Ralph Agritelley- Vice President, Labor Relations Katherine Betries-Kendall- Vice President Human Resources Michael R. Coan - Chief, MTA POllce Department Susan Doering - Vice President-Customer Service & Stations Randall Fleischer - Senior Director, Business Development, Facilities and Marketing James B. Henly - Vice President and General Counsel Michael Horodniceanu, President, MTA Capital Construction John Kesich- Senior Vice President Operations Anne Kirsch - Chief Safety Officer Timothy McCarthy - Senior Director, Capital Programs Kim Porcelain - Vice President - Finance and Information Systems Robert Rodriguez - Director - Diversity and EEO Michael Shiffer - Vice President - Operations Planning Page 3 The members of the Metro-N orth Committee met joindy with the members of the Long Island Committee. Mr. Pally, as Chainnan of the Long Island Committee, called the joint meeting to order. He acknowledged and welcomed Commissioner Redeker of CDOT. Seven public speakers addressed the Conunittee. Orrin Getz of Rockland County discussed west- of- Hudson Metro-North service and the federal process for PTC installations. He stated that President Giulietti should hold a meet and greet with west-of~Hudson riders, commented on Pascack Valley Line delays and noted that New Jersey Transit will be undertaking a review similar to the FRA's "Deep Dive" ~eview of Metro-North operations. Additional details of the comments made by Mr. Getz and the remaining speakers, who did not discuss matters relating to Metro-North, are contained in the video recording of the meeting produced by the MTA and maintained in the MTA records. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Committee approved the minutes of the March 24, 2014 .Committee meeting. There were no changes to the 2014 work plan. MTA LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD PRESIDENT'S REPORT President Williams reported on Long Island Rail Road matters. She noted that the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North are working closely on the development of Positive Train Control (pTC)and have worked together to negotiate change orders to accelerate the PTC delivery schedule. The details of President Williams' report are contained in the minutes of the Long Island Rail Road Committee held this day and in the video recording of the meeting produced by the MTA and maintained in the MTA records. MTA METRO-NORTH RAILROAD PRESIDENT'S REPORT President Giulietti reported on Metro-North Railroad matters. President Giulietti noted that this is the first joint meeting of the railroad committees he has attended, and expressed his appreciation of the partnership that has developed with the Long Island Rail Road. He also expressed his appreciation to CDOT Commissioner James Redeker and Deputy Commissioner Anna Barry for their attendance at the Committee meeting and for their participation at a recent presidential "meet and greet" held in Connecticut. President Giulietti discussed the FRA "Deep Dive" review and the important steps Metro­ North has taken to reestablish safety as the railroad's unmistakable priority. He reported that a progress meeting was recendy held with the FRA and Metro-North will submit a plan to the FRA by May 17 that addresses the concerns raised in the "Deep Dive" rev1ew. A number of safety improvements which address the FRA's concerns are to be implemented prior to the May 17 submission date as part of the 100-Day Action Plan. Continuing the discussion on the railroad's commitment to safety, President Giulietti noted that he has reorganized the Metro-North Safety Department to focus solely on safety. Company-wide safety stand downs were held on March 11 and April 10 with such meetings henceford1 to be held on a quarterly basis. Metro-North has heightened the monitoring of speed restrictions by reviewing randomly selected event recorders, utilizing radar gun enforcement and observations made by supervisors riding trains. A plan has been developed to utilize advanced inspection technology to increase the effectiveness of track inspections and ensure that track is maintained to FRA and Metro- Page 4 North standards. The Enhanced Employee Protection System (EEPS), an industry-leading system developed in-house that significantly increases the safety of workers on the tracks by putting track block placement and removal in tl1e hands of the worker on the track, has been completed ahead of schedule. Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road are working to accelerate implementation ofPTC technology. The railroads are also working toward implementation of an FRA Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS) that allows employees to anonymously report unsafe events and conditions that could lead to serious problems without fear of reprisal. President Giulietti outlined the status of Metro-North's lOa-Day Action Plan, noting that each initiative undertaken will support one or more of four key goals: promoting a culture of safety, adopting concrete safety enhancements, restoring reliable service and improving communication to customers and employees. The action plan will address the findings of ilie FRA "Deep Dive" report and of the MTA's Blue Ribbon Panel on Safety. President Giulietti reported on the details of the new train schedules to become effective May 11, after the Bronx track rehabilitation program has been completed. The new timetable, which will be more reliable ilian the one currently in place, was developed after a detailed analysis of performance and train running times conducted by the Metro-Norili Planning Department, with particular focus on performance and train running times on the New Haven Line. The schedule changes, among other things, address speed restrictions put in place after ilie serious incidents that took place in 2013, infrastructure improvement work to be undertaken in New York and Connecticut, and increased delays and overcrowding, especially on the New Haven Line. £'\s per the agreement under which Metro-North operates the New Haven Line, President Giulietti noted that CDOT has approved the schedule changes relating to the New Haven Line and has asked Metro-North to implement further service enhancements in the fall schedule. President Giulietti reported on informal meetings he has been holding with customers during his first 100 days. The meetings provide President Giulietti and his senior staff wiili an opportunity to speak with Metro-North's customers and elected officials. President Giulietti has also visited wiili Metro-North employees at various facilities. He noted that the deadline for ilie lOa-Day Plan is June 11, and that many of ilie initiatives commenced in tl1e Plan period will continue beyond iliat date. A scorecard is posted on the internet to inform customers and stakeholders of Metro-North's progress. President Giulietti noted that a Metro-Norili has a lot of work ahead of it to create a culture in which safety is ilie most important priority, to fix what is broken ,viili ilie railroad's physical plant, procedures and organizational structure and to win back ilie confidence and trust of its customers and other stakeholders. President Giulietti and his senior team are committed to achieving these goals. President Giulietti announced iliat he has appointed iliree seasoned railroad veterans to top operational posts. Glen Hayden, who was a past head ofMetro-North's Maintenance of Way Department, has been appointed Vice President of Engineering. Michael Yaeger, who oversaw fleet maintenance, has been appointed Chief Mechanical Officer. Kevin O'Connor, who was responsible for day to day train operations and has experience in implementing C3RS, has been appointed Chief Transportation Officer. President Giulietti is confident that these experienced professionals will provide leadership needed to rebuild Metro-Norili's reputation for excellence by refocusing its attention on safety, reliability and customer service. Page 5 President Giulietti reported on the Mount Vernon Substation Upgrade, which began on April 18. The project, led by Tim McCarthy, head of Metro-North Capital Programs, will upgrade the power supply for the New Haven Line at Metro-North's Mount Vernon East substation to provide additional redundancy and increase capacity and will reconfigure existing controls and metering to take advantage of potential power savings. When completed, the project will enable Metro-North to use the regenerative braking technology on its M-8 rail cars to feed power back into the catenary system each time the cars go into braking mode. This excess electricity reduces Metro-North's overall power demand. In March, a similar upgrade was completed with CDOT, resulting in a doubling of capacity at the Cos Cob \'\1est substation. These substation improvements reduce the possibility of a full power outage. In the event of a full power outage, activating the tie and restoring regular train service through the area is estimated to take up to two hours. President Giulietti reported that total ridership is 1.7% lower year-to-date through March 2014 as compared to the comparable period of 2013. West-of-Hudson ridership increased 1.1 % in March 2014 as compared to the comparable period of2013.