Metro-North must modernize

Riding the Metro-North has become an exercise in patience and self-restraint. From delays during inclement — and not-so-inclement — weather to periodic ticket price increases, passengers have come to expect the worst of a rail line that was once among the best in the country.

However, they should not be expected to tolerate potentially dangerous conditions and the lingering fear of disaster on every trip to and from work and other destinations. If the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) recent recommendations for Metro-North were intended to reassure commuters about the line’s safety, or if the proposals indicate the kind of changes to come down the road, the board has done a terrible job.

The NTSB called on Metro-North to implement two measures, at least one of which is already in place. While the board has yet to complete its investigation of the deadly Dec. 1 train derailment near the Spuyten Duyvil station — how many months could it possibly take to do that? — the NTSB bravely announced two lessons it is extrapolating from the inquiry so far.

The first essentially calls for giant speed limit signs near stretches of track where trains should slow down.

Charles Moerdler, a board member of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority that oversees Metro-North, was right to heap scorn on the suggestion in a Press article last week.

“What kind of a sign short of a flashing light are you going to be able to read at high speed? “ Mr. Moerdler stated. “I’m all for it. But be real. If the guy is speeding really grossly, he’s not going to be able to read a sign.”

At any rate, Metro-North officials installed signs at sites including one near the Spuyten Duyvil station prior to the NTSB proposal, making the board’s recommendation pure show.

Moreover, the MTA recently took the laudable step of installing systems that automatically decelerate trains in 10 locations on Metro-North and Long Island Railroad lines if engineers fail to slow down themselves.