Former Long Island Rail Road signalman charged for false report, could face two years in prison
A former Long Island Rail Road signalman has been charged with falsifying a track inspection report at a location where a train derailed in 2019, according to a criminal complaint announced Thursday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. The Attorney’s Office says Stuart Conklin, 63, filed a report claiming he had inspected the track on April 26, 2019, but video footage showed he did not perform the inspection that would have found defects which led to a May 25 derailment at Speonk Interlocking on the LIRR Montauk Branch. Conklin resigned six days later. He is charged with making a false entry in a railroad inspection report and, if convicted, could face up to two years in prison. “As alleged, Conklin’s false inspection report endangered passengers on a heavily used line of the Long Island Rail Road and potentially placed scores of riders in harm’s way,” Acting United States Attorney Seth DuCharme said in a press release. “Today’s arrest sends a strong message that this Office is committed to ensuring integrity in reports that are critical to the safe operation of the transport system.”
Union sues MTA over service cuts on C, F subway lines
A union representing Metropolitan Transportation Authority subway operators is filing suit against the MTA, saying the agency illegally skipped the public review process before cutting service on the C and F subway lines. amNY.com reports Transportation Workers Union Local 100 says the goal is to obtain a temporary restraining order to block the cuts, which it claims are causing dangerous crowding during the COVID-19 pandemic. A representative of the MTA says nothing has changed on the two lines in nearly a year and that it is offering 80% of pre-pandemic service, and that “beyond that, we will vigorously defend against these claims in court.”
Keolis reverses plan to furlough MBTA commuter rail conductors
Keolis Commuter Services, the contract operator of Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has reversed plans to permanently furlough 40 conductors. WBUR Radio reports U.S. Rep Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) announced the change on one of its programs, saying the company had “reconsidered their decision,” and a Keolis representative confirmed the reversal. The furlough plan became public when a member of the conductors’ union called into a meeting of the board which oversees the MBTA, urging it to overturn the plan [see “Digest: CP announces Ballard fuel cells …,” Trains News Wire, March 9, 2021].
