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Sen. Chuck Schumer on Sunday called for an investigation into why the MTA is spending so much time installing technical rescue equipment just days after two Long Island Rail Road trains struck a car at a crossroads. level, killing his three occupants.
"We can not wait any longer. Lives are in danger. We have all seen how many people have died and been injured in these train accidents far too often, "Schumer said at a press conference at the Grand Central Station. "When it works, PTC is a boon. Be it two cars crossing the tracks. If they are two trains that could collide. "
The New York Democrat said the Metropolitan Transportation Authority had asked for a further delay in the installation of Positive Train Control, as more than 4,000 PTC-related antennas had been recalled from the LIRR and Metro-North trains, at risk the deadline set for December 2020 for the installation of the technology.
"What is mysterious is that 4,000 of these PTC monitors have been installed on the runways and only now do they know that it is faulty," Schumer said. "Why were the tests not done? How long can it be corrected? Maybe this can be fixed easily. Let's see."
Due to the failure of the equipment, Schumer said that it was necessary to answer many questions.
"We need the government to do a thorough review and find out what's wrong. Whose fault is it? How to respect deadlines again? And how to recover the money from the contractors who ruined everything by selling the defective MTA hardware? Schumer said.
The MTA said it was "laser focused" on tracking the progress of contractors and setting up "monitoring to avoid further delays".
"We are obliging them to meet their contractual obligations to complete the implementation of TPC within the time frame prescribed by the federal government. They will have to correct their mistakes at their own cost, out of their own pocket, "said Ronnie Hakim, chief executive of MTA, in a statement. .
Schumer wants the Federal Railroad Administration to get involved, saying that, according to the federal government, "it would look over the shoulder of the MTA, it would be much more likely for them to do it right this time. ".
The PTC system, mandated by the federal government, is designed to automatically stop trains before they crash or derail. It was originally scheduled to be operational on December 31, 2015, but this deadline has been extended.
Missing the time limit will result in a fine of about $ 30,000 a day for the MTA and will put the runners at risk, Schumer said.
A car bypassed a railroad gate in Westbury, Long Island on Tuesday night and was struck by an eastbound train.
A few seconds later, the train was hit by a speeding westbound train, causing the train to derail at the Westbury station platform.
Three people in the car were killed.
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