New NJ Transit Chief Grilled On Post-Crash System Safety

摘要

Well before a fatal N.J. Transit passenger-train crash at the Hoboken station on Sept. 29, the nation's third-largest rail network was beset with maintenance and safety issues, its new executive director told state legislators earlier this month. Named in October after months of interim agency management, Stephen H. Santoro vowed to take immediate steps to fix safety and maintenance issues, despite a $22.5-million fiscal 2016 budget deficit. Measures include ending the use of construction funds for day-to-day operations and major equipment purchases and fully staffing the agency's safety office. A Fed- eral Railroad Administration audit in June found numerous safety violations.