(rshsdepot) Railing vs. commuter depots

[Bernie Wagenblast <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

Railing vs. commuter depots

By PETE DONOHUE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Thursday, April 10th, 2003

Four of the 40 commuter rail stations in the city - one in Queens and three
in the Bronx - are in poor if not dangerous condition, according to an audit
by the city controller's office.
The review also found that Metro-North stations in the city were in worse
shape, and repairs were of a poorer quality, than those in tonier
Westchester County.

The review of 14 Metro-North and 26 Long Island Rail Road stations in the
city found problems that included uneven, cracked and crumbling cement,
peeling paint, damaged staircases and loose metal plates.

The depots cited by Controller William Thompson were Metro-North's Tremont,
Wakefield and Fordham stations. The lone LIRR station cited by Thompson was
Murray Hill in Flushing.

The review found the following conditions at the stations:


a.. Murray Hill: Cracked and crumbling concrete on platforms, chipped
staircases, loose platform edges, rusted pipes and a cracked retaining wall.

a.. Tremont: Rusted and rotting staircases, peeling paint, loose platform
edges and an exposed rusty nail.

a.. Fordham: Exposed electrical third rail, rotting platform edges, peeling
paint and water leaking onto the platform.

a.. Wakefield: Cracked and crumbling cement, peeling paint, exposed third
rails and cracked staircases.
The city paid the MTA - which operates Metro-North and the LIRR - close to
$67 million last year for station maintenance.

"To discover that some of the same unsafe conditions I identified last year
[in another audit] were still present is extremely troubling," Thompson
said.

"It also is disturbing to find the difference in maintenance standards in
the city and stations in Westchester. New York City residents are entitled
to same level of service Metro-North provides to Westchester County
residents."

Comparisons 'inaccurate'

Metro-North responded to the report in writing, stating that
"characterizations in standards for station maintenance between New York
City stations and Westchester stations in the audit are inaccurate.
Comparisons have been drawn to Westchester stations that are significantly
newer, or recently rehabilitated. Many other Westchester stations are in
similar condition as some New York City stations."

The letter to Thompson states that Metro-North's capital program is
targeting all city stations. On the Hudson Line, Morris Heights, Spuyten
Duyvil and Riverdale are being rehabbed. University Heights and Marble Hill
are scheduled for work starting in January. On the Harlem Line, Melrose,
Tremont, Fordham, Woodlawn and Wakefield will see construction work start
next year.

The Tremont station may be the least-used in the Metro-North system, with
just four passengers boarding there on an average weekday to go to Grand
Central, according to statistics compiled by the railroad.

Acting LIRR President James Dermody said only one Long Island station was
singled out in the report, and said it showed the LIRR is aggressively
repairing and maintaining its stations in the city.

He said the Murray Hill station was slated for platform repair work next
year, but the LIRR doesn't have the funds for a complete overhaul.


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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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