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Now that a Long Island Rail Road engineer and passenger have been charged with reckless endangerment—the passenger, a court stenographer (pictured), was allegedly allowed to drive a 500-ton train 25 miles—Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice is turning her attention to basic LIRR matters. Newsday reports that Rice's suggestions for the LIRR include "Improving event recorders - or 'black boxes' - on trains to make them record data about the use of the 'dead man pedal,' which must be constantly compressed for the train to operate; installing video and audio recording devices in the engineer's cab; and requiring engineers to wear identification badges and uniforms while on duty." Yes, LIRR engineers are not required to wear uniforms, though conductors and ticket takers are. Rice explains that uniforms "will enable the general public to quickly identify them, particularly when an emergency arises, or when there is some question about their conduct." The LIRR, which is reviewing the suggestions, says that the uniform issue will have to be taken up in collective bargaining with the engineers' union.
Nassau DA: LIRR Engineers Should Wear Uniforms
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I've been saying this for years. Anyone walking onto a train wearing a stained Jets sweatshirt could drive it away and no one would know the difference.
Yeah, with all the unattended trains left idling in front of bodegas while the engineer runs in to get a pack of smokes, it's amazing it doesn't happen more often.
Union kills it in 3, 2, ......
Once a compromise is reached, they will turn badge around, and you don't know if they are LIRR or investment banker.
If you ask them if they work for LIRR they tell you its none of your business. If you know they are LIRR and on duty, and you demand to know their name, they will tell you "headquarters knows who I am, I'm not going to tell you, if you want to make a complaint you tell them the timetable departure of this train", I hear that excuse from an airline pilot once, no reason it won't work on a train.
Theres always a gaggle of men in each robo-train electric train cab. Bring back the half cab railfan window so passengers can identify who is chatting for an hour with the engineer, or driving the train.
Dead man pedal? keep a brick in your gym bag. Dead man handle? hang a brick in a shopping bag off the handle. Once saw an Engineer painting her nails the entire time on a 30 minute express run. Much harder to do that driving a car. Just set the accelerator at 60 mph and come back in 20 mins, theres the signalling system and its whistle alarm in the cab to slow the train down.
Just replace the engineer with a computer driving system and a less paid conductor who just has a big red stop button infront of him, put some laser motion sensors at a crossing, and track workers know how to slow down trains to safe levels with just an auto jumper cable.
Taking a late train home one night, I got off at the last stop (the joys of living that far out on the Island cannot be described) and saw someone fighting the crowd to get *onto* the train. Being the too-nice person I am, and seeing that the person was dressed in street clothes, I said "This was the last stop, the Penn train is on the other side."
For my trouble, I got a shove as the woman forced her way onto the train past us as she snapped, "No f***ing s***, I work for the railroad."
Right. Try a uniform, sweetheart. I don't bother talking anymore, someone might mistake me for a LIRR employee.
Unions suck. If Burger King employees have to wear uniforms, there's just no excuse for engineers not to.
How dare you compare a Mass Transit working with an employee from Burger King.
Yes, please to not sully the reputation of BK employees!
Bk employees have the same level of education but much more training.
Oh, and they actually work for a living.
MTA workers are some of the hardest working people in the country. You just choose not to see it.
I see it all the time. And that's exactly what the token booth clerk at 42nd street who was reading a novel told me after she refused to check my unswipable metrocard.
But MTA employees are some of the brightest out there.
I cannot respond to your exact circumstance but it's likely she was reading the MTA manuel handbook which is reguired reading anyway. And you were probably rude which in that case she has the right to be rude back. That is what I tell my peeps.It's not like you can take your business elsewhere.
There's a world of difference between a subway token booth clerk and a LIRR engineer. Engineers in fact are well trained, and have to be able to do much more than operate the train on scheduled runs carrying passengers.
They (as do conductors) have to be able to identify every switch in the system, have to be able to diagnose and repair various train systems, and in addition to operating the train in transit, have to be able to operate switching engines and to build consists in the yard. This, of course, barely scratching the surface.
This guy absolutely did something foolish. But it's also foolish to disparage the training and education of engineers in general, as it is to lump the entire body of people employed by various MTA entities into one group.
Airline pilots proudly wear uniforms.
Until recently pilots were gods and their union could shutdown a major airline to get what the members wanted.
I have been taking Metro North for about 2 years and have always been befuddled by this practice over there too. It doesn't make sense that the other train employees wear the uniform and the engineer does not. I hope this is implemented over there as well.
They should be required to dress like DEVO.