The News Publication for MTA Metro-North Railroad Employees

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1 The News Publication for MTA Metro-North Railroad Employees May 2011 Photo: Kyle McCarthy They re Traveling Like Pros... If you would have taken one of the many game-day trains for the Yankees season opener on March 31 (like we did!), you would have ridden with thousands of fans who elected to travel in style and comfort by taking the train to the game to our Yankees- E. 153rd Street Station! Read below some customer comments about how they like the convenient and fast service. INSIDE THIS ISSUE No plumbers needed. Everything went down the drain after completion of our Bronx Drainage Project. Read details on page 2-3. We re wearing smaller shoes. Our carbon footprint is shrinking thanks to the concerted efforts by many Metro North departments. See page 3 for the news. Our HGTV stars. Our original Paint Gang roared onto the scene in 2010, sprucing up stations much to customers delight. Story on page 4. Good to the last drop. Metro-North employee rolled up their sleeves during the recent Blood Drive. See photos on page 6. Read us at home at re referring to the diehard Yankees fans who are taking our trains to the games! In its third season, our game-day service to Yankees- E. 153rd Street Station is a comfortable and stress-free way for customers to get to Yankees home games. It also saves them money on tolls, parking and gasoline. (And with the current price per gallon, they would soon need a salary like A Rod s to afford the trip.) There are plenty of trains to the games, our schedules are tailored to provide service before, during and after the game from the first pitch to the last out. We took a ride to the Yankees vs. Tigers Opening Day (March 31) game, speaking with customers on the shuttles which depart Grand Central and Harlem-125th Street Station to Yankee Stadium, and at the station with customers arriving from outlying areas. They all agreed game-day service is the way to go! Here s what they had to say: Frank (Stamford) notes: I usually take the train from Stamford, but today I left work early to attend the opener. This game-day service is great it s convenient and fast; basically a one-stop service. Paul (New Jersey) says: You can t beat it this is the only way to go! I attend a lot of games, and if I am coming in from Jersey, it s easy to switch to a game-day shuttle... the one-stop convenience makes it really worthwhile. I usually leave from work and take a shuttle to the stadium; it s fast and convenient, there s a lot of service, and it s not crowded, John (Manhattan) says. Kimberly (Dutchess County) likes taking the train to the game. It s easy to get in and out from the game, and with gas prices going up, it is cheaper than driving I love taking this train. We were planning on taking the subway, but when we got to Grand Central, we heard the announcements about the trains to the game and decided to try it, Elizabeth (New Jersey) notes. And are we glad we did this is a comfortable and convenient ride! Taking the ride with Elizabeth was Alyssa (New Jersey): I don t mind the extra cost for the ride there is good space on this train... it is clean and it s a nice way to travel. We don t like to drive because the trip is too long we want to enjoy the game! Guy (Toronto, Canada) is staying with friends in Rye, NY. I have been taking Metro-North trains every day to come to Manhattan and see the sights. I was going to take the subway to the Yankees game, but I saw the poster about your game-day service and decided to try it... so far, it is a much better way to get there. Frank (Long Island) and Brent (Hoboken, NJ) were taking the train to the game for the first time. We didn t know about these trains to the Yankees games until today when continued on page 5

2 2 What the other members of our MTA family are up to. Rail News Subway riders get a helping hand. Subway riders can now get assistance and information with the touch of a but ton thanks to MTA New York City Transit s new Help Point station communications system. Pilot testing has begun at the 23rd Street and Brooklyn Bridge Stations on the Lexington Avenue Line. Help Point units will be positioned along station platforms for easy access and high visibility. Customers can either report an emergency or ask for travel directions. The units are easy to spot with a bright blue beacon light that will pulse when the unit is in action. This feature will help alert first responders in case there is an injured or sick customer at that location. It s a wrap for Swatch. A number 6 train is sporting a full wrap by watchmaker Swatch as part the MTA s efforts to in crease revenue from novel ad space usage. Distinguishing this campaign are the included video screens, the first for a wrap ad. Among the MTA s recent initiatives designed to increase ad revenue are station domination campaigns in which advertisers are invited to take over entire stations and digital displays on trains, buses and stations. The MTA is also exploring 3D images and in-tunnel advertising. A long ride. Significant progress has been made on extension of the number 7 train to bring new subway service to 34th Street and 11th Avenue, and allow convenient access to the adjacent development and the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Boring for two parallel subway tunnels is already complete and excavation of a three-block long cavern for the subway station, a station platform and mezzanine level, is 85 percent complete with an expected completion date of September Everything is going down the drain in The Bronx thanks to the completion of our Bronx Drainage Project! The project, which started in 2008, resulted after major floods in prior years, each of which disrupted service at key points along our territory. Right off the bat, we created an aggressive and ongoing program of drain system inspections and accelerated cleaning and maintenance. We also formed partnerships with local communities and government agencies to work together in battling flooding, Assistant Director Facilities Engineering Geoff Dopsch explains. We also compiled a Top 10 list of key flood locations with Mott Haven Yard identified as priority number one. It is a flood prone spot because it is at low grade (at the lower end of a hill or slope, for example) and also gets periodic overflow from nearby NYC drain systems during intense storms. A Draining in The The Bronx Drainage Project helped alleviate flooding along our right of way by adding drainage Don t And, because our Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines converge at area junctures, flooding at Mott Haven has halted trains system-wide. To alleviate flooding there, we removed all debris from existing drains. Then we restored about half a mile of key drainage systems by replacing or relining pipes, Dopsch notes. Along an E. 149th Street area, we installed new Beehive Grate manhole covers which, because of their dome shape, don t clog as easily during heavy rains. And, as a first line of defense, a High- Water Alert System was installed at a catch basin under the 149th Street Bridge, which is the lowest point in the Mott Haven area and is generally the first place to flood. On our Harlem and New Haven lines, we finished in 2010 three drainage connections (between tracks 1 and 2) to the NYC sewer system from Mott Haven and Fordham to eliminate mud spots. (These are Fall For It. S lip, Trip and Fall (STF) hazards remain the number one safety concern at Metro-North... see some safety tips from the Safety Department s General Safety Instructions handbook about avoiding STFs:

3 Experience Bronx 3 3 This month s we d like to tell you about some ongoing green efforts throughout Metro-North... connections, new drain covers and giving problem areas a thorough cleaning. pools of water and mud that collect between the non-porous concrete ties, exacerbating flood conditions during heavy downpours.) An existing retaining wall at Fordham was increased in height approximately 18 inches and at Claremont Parkway a wall of concrete barriers was created and additional drainage piping installed to block and channel water more efficiently to existing drains. Both were done in A bit further north on our Hudson Line, at Ossining, where Sing Sing Creek Channel in August 2008 overflowed and flooded a 1,200-foot span of our right-of-way and the station parking lot, work is underway to make that point more flood-resistant. We also completed in 2010 a conceptual design for channel improvements; these included a thorough cleaning and lining the channel with concrete. We anticipate starting the work in 2012, Dopsch says. Also on the Hudson Line, we partnered with the City of Yonkers to combat flooding.. Use established routes, paths, crosswalks, and walkways when possible. Avoid tripping and slipping hazards, and remove or correct them when possible. If they cannot be corrected, warn others and promptly inform your supervisor of their type and location. Do not walk into poorly lit areas unless you have enough light for safe movement. around our Glenwood and Ludlow stations. In the Glenwood area, the city strengthened a nearby slope that had washed away during a March 2007 storm. They also cleaned the catch basins, while we built a retaining wall at the bottom of the slope to divert any runoff water. Once funding is available, Yonkers will also undertake drainage improvements around Ludlow Station. As needed, we will continue to reach out to communities in proximity to the Bronx River, Hudson River, and Saw Mill River asking that during any requests for new construction permits in these areas, careful attention is paid to include parameters for storm water runoff containment. The benefits of these proactive efforts will go a long way to combat future floods, and help us continue to provide customers with sound train service good weather and bad, Dopsch says. n Do not run. Use handholds and railings when available. Maintain three-point contact (two hands and a foot or two feet and a handhold) when getting on or off of equipment or ladders. Watch where you step. Be alert to walking conditions. Adjust your stride and activities to accommodate weather, lighting, grade and surface conditions. n Our Shrinking Carbon Footprint According to the MTA, for every one pound of greenhouse gases (GHG) operations at Metro-North emits, we avoid more than eight pounds of GHG given off by cars. It s true and here at Metro-North, we re also taking steps to further reduce our GHG emissions, or carbon footprint. You may have seen guys in blue hard hats walking around our facilities in Brewster, North White Plains, Harmon, and GCT. They are from New York Power Authority (NYPA), a state agency that generates and distributes power across the state. A Partner with the MTA Since 2005, NYPA has been working under the current Energy Services Contract with the MTA to evaluate, design, and install energy efficiency upgrades at MTA facilities, all with no upfront capital cost to us. Under this contract we can fix failing HVAC systems by installing new, more reliable equipment; replace outdated compressors with new cutting-edge technology, or just simply replace older less-efficient lighting with energy efficient fixtures and occupancy sensors. That s how we reduce our carbon footprint! We are able to do this by repaying NYPA through the energy savings that the projects generate. In other words, they only do projects that pay for themselves! A special thanks to our Maintenance of Way, Maintenance of Equipment and Operations Departments for all of their support in connection with the NYPA efforts! Curious how big your household s carbon footprint is? Check out the link below to calculate it and find ways to reduce your own footprint. foot print.com/ calculator.aspx Got an idea for an energy-saving project that you think can pay for itself? Send your idea to Karen Timko mnr.org) or Todd Lange

4 4 There Is A New Gang In The original Paint Gang at Scarsdale Station: (front l. r.) Foreman John Battles, Jessie Adams; (back l. r.) Rickey Lloyd, Joseph Thomas, Paul Correale, Rafael Ceballos. nd they already have a rep for...awhat they did at our White Plains and Southeast stations! We re talking about the Stations & Fa cilities Department s new Paint Gang that was formed in early 2010 and which, along with their de part ment brethren, made quick work of the two stations. While the concept of the Paint Gang proved to be an innovative idea conceived by Salvatore Monti and John Wagner, what really makes the group are the employees and the gang s Foreman, John Battles, said Assistant Director Tracks & Structures Jeff Manthey. From day one, Battles worked tirelessly to invoke a sense of pride for the workplace in the gang members as they restored our stations to their original shine. It worked... the first set of kudos came last summer on the heels of the group s eye- pleasing makeover of Southeast Station in June where they painted, fixed edge boards, changed benches, replaced some glass and did steel hand-railing repairs. This was quickly followed in August when the same team carried out a head to toe transformation of White Plains Station that was completed just in time for Thanksgiving! The makeover was so dramatic that customers instantaneously started giving the station an across the board thumbs up. If you look at the track record of these employees, you ll see their work ethic is impeccable they arrive at work early, they do a great job, they are courteous to the cus tomers, and in return they receive a whole host of praise from our commuters who appreciate a nice, clean station environment! Manthey notes. What did they do? The Paint Gang scraped and painted all the stations exteriors and interiors, bringing new life to the facility. It was an obvious group effort as other Stations and Facilities employees from various crafts including carpenters, ironworkers & welders, tinsmiths, plumbers, and electricians and locations, including Harmon and White Plains, contributed with repairs to station railings, concrete repairs to platforms, fixes to platform edge boards, and replacement of the scratchitti film on glass. We were also able to proceed due to the efforts of Stations & Facilities Supervisors Rich Collishaw (White Plains) and Ron Daly (Southeast) who made sure all materials and equipment were on hand, Manthey notes. Quick help also came from Maintenance of Way Material Procurement s Steve Cole and Patti Calcutti who worked to order Town... supplies and ensure prompt delivery. It s really amazing how the enthusiasm of the Paint Gang is contagious it s been heartening to see our other employees rally around this effort and bring their best game to the table as well, Manthey says. As a prime example, Manthey explains that the station E-Cleaners and their supervisors Tony Camp and Erwin Telesfort have extended all of their support to making the paint program a success as well. They helped power wash and prepped surfaces for the painters, as well as touch up any areas that were hit with graffiti after they left. And while the cold weather may have stopped the outdoors work, the Paint Gang had a full schedule to work on station in teriors at a number of Harlem Line stations, including Mt. Vernon West, Scarsdale, Bronx ville, and North White Plains. With the arrival of spring they will soon head outdoors again to work on New Hamburg, Beacon, Cortlandt, Cold Spring and Garrison stations. This has been a huge success story for Metro-North, and it shows what happens when a good group of people work together, he says. Because the entire commuting experience begins at the station, we want to make a great impression right from the start. That s how we ll achieve our Vision 2013 goal of 98% customer satisfaction! Manthey adds. n Working to beautify Scarsdale Station for our customers are (l.-r.) Paul Correale, painting the trim, and Rafael Ceballos, prepping the ceiling for painting.

5 They re TravelingLike Pros... 5 Customers enjoy the short ride from Grand Central and Harlem-125th Street; we re ready to help customers with tickets for future games. continued from page 1 we saw the poster in Grand Central... it s a very relaxing and fast ride... it s not crowded, so I don t mind paying a little more. I like that it s not crowded... and because these trains leave from Grand Central pretty frequently, it would really be nice to meet friends there and have something to eat before going to the game together it s a nice meeting point, Brent adds. Sal from Harrison doesn t want to deal with driving and the cost of parking at Yankee Stadium. It is an easy commute from Harrison or Grand Central, and the cost of the train ticket is by no means prohibitive. My ride was very good, Lee from Scarsdale notes. This is the first time I am taking the train, but not the last I don t want to pay for parking and it s pretty comfortable. Louise (Long Island) and Marianne (Westchester) love the train to the game. It is the best thing you (Metro-North) ever did, Marianne notes. We had such a good ride that we ll tell all our friends about this train to the Yankees games... it s great! Louise adds. My ride was very good and it was fast, Sanjay (Greenwich) says. I was going to take the subway, but saw a lot of Yankees fans going to this train so I decided to try it I am glad I did! This was a perfect ride, Scott from Hastings notes. It was comfortable, clean and an easy trip down here... this is my second time by train and definitely not the last. continued on page 7 Photos: Kyle McCarthy Customers Frank & Paul, Kimberly and Guy praise our game day service. An MVP Award For Yankees- E. 153rd Street Station In 2010, some 577,000 customers traveled to or from the 82 home games at the stadium, greatly reducing automobile traffic in the Bronx! In addition to baseball games, Yankee Stadium was also host to two Jay Z/Eminem concerts in September 2010, which resulted in 11,000 additional rides. In November, the first football game to be played at Yankee Stadium in decades (Army vs. Notre Dame) resulted in over 9,000 additional rides on Metro North. And an additional 6,200 rides were racked up for the first ever Pinstripe Bowl to be played at the stadium in late December. Yankees- E. 153d Street Station is also a daily local stop on the Hudson Line for customers looking to travel into the Bronx with the same frequency of service as all Bronx local stops. The station also serves more than 300 local residents who take northbound trains 27 each weekday daily to jobs in Yonkers, Tarrytown and even Poughkeepsie.

6 Good to the last Drop 6...Metro-North and MTA Headquarters employees rolled up their sleeves and took action by participating in the recent Blood Drive which took place on the Northeast Balcony in Grand Central Terminal. The goal of this year s blood drive was 100 pints, according to OHS s Angela Pitaro; however thanks to the incredible turnout of Metro-North and MTA HQ employees we recorded 115 pints of blood! A special note of appreciation to our Mechanical and Marketing Departments for providing some nice giveaways. Photo: Meredith Conti Photo: Kyle McCarthy Above photos: Kyle McCarthy I Photo: Meredith Conti f you go down to the Lower Level in Grand Central, you ll probably see commuters do one of two things start to sprint in a last-ditch effort to make their train or stop with an air of resignation because their train has departed. Regardless, the common thread is they all probably looked up for a split second at the oak-encased clock mounted high in the air nearby Tracks 108 and 109. Not as resplendent as the famous Biltmore Room timepiece, the clock was recently re lo cat ed from the Upper Level nearby Track 19. The move came about after we spruced up that area with new energy-efficient light fixtures which blocked the clock. A relic from the days of the 20th Century Limited, the clock was made by the Self Winding Clock Company of New York. At one time there were more than 50,000 Self Winding clocks across the country, all maintained by Western Union. Self Winding was the brainchild of two Brooklynites, Charles Pratt, the tycoon who founded Pratt Institute, and Henry Chester Pond, who already held a patent for an electro-mechanical clock when they started the company. In Self Winding s heyday, its clocks kept time on New York skyscrapers and inside the United States Capitol. It also made Grand Central s four-faced clock. And though Metro-North no longer knows exactly when it delivered the one that has been moved to the dining concourse. n

7 They re Traveling Like Pros... continued from page 5 There s plenty of service: There are frequent game-day shuttles from Grand Central. On game days, Hudson Line fans enjoy direct service from Grand Central Terminal, Harlem-125th Street Station and outlying Hudson Line stations. Harlem and New Haven Line fans can take direct service from select stations for 7:05 PM weeknight games, as well as for all weekend and holiday games. (At other times, they can transfer to Hudson Line trains, or special game-day shuttles, at Grand Central or Harlem-125th Street Station.) Now that is a winning line-up! n Kurt Williams Mechanical Electrician In the Mechanical Department, we make sure to get the cars that come in for repair or maintenance fixed and out as soon as possible. In this way, we make sure that there is enough equipment in service to take care of all our customers. Phil DiMario Machinist M of W We can achieve this goal by keeping our equipment in a state of good repair. Like the boom for the Burro Crane which we are repairing for track maintenance. If the track is in good condition, then trains can operate on time and get customers to their destinations. By 2013 We Will Achieve: 98% on time performance We spoke to some employees at North White Plains about how we could attain this goal. Jo-Ann Librett M of E Operations Support I think we are doing a good job our OTP is rising now after the horrible winter we had. I think resource allocation is very important. By that I mean we need to make sure people have the proper tools in hand to get the job done efficiently. Joseph Leonard Inventory Control Clerk While I feel the service we provide is excellent, there is always room for improvement. As we have done in the past, we must continue to set higher standards for ourselves. 7 Photos: Kyle McCarthy CustomerCorner This column will highlight a customer letter that shows how, on a daily basis, our employees dedication and hard work contribute toward Metro-North s reputation as a brand name for excellence. Above photos: Kyle McCarthy Scenes from our Yankees- E. 153rd Street Station on Opening Day, but why is our one and only Hector Santiago (bottom) trying to find out when the Mets game starts? Y ou guys did a great job of preventing a major loss of life and train damage with respect to this Danbury washout. The people who decided to go check the tracks should be given medals. You are working with a line that was built a long time ago and hopefully there aren t any more sur prises along the rest of it. I hope people that are taking the bus for a while appreciate the fact that they didn t end up in the pond or worse. Once again thanks to everyone who assisted in preventing a major loss. Sincerely, Charlessterling

8 8 Movin Up Congratulations to these employees who were recently promoted or transferred: Harry Ananiatis to Locomotive En gineer, Opers. Svcs. on 1/18/11; Richard C. Bedard to Locomotive Engineer, Opers. Svcs. on 1/18/11; Christopher Bracale to Locomotive Engineer, Opers. Svcs. on 1/18/11; Eugene Brazil to Laborer, Mechanical on 1/23/11; Eric M. Cleveland to Machinist, Mechanical on 1/24/11; Edward M. Dudek to Gener al Foreman, Mechanical on 1/5/11; Karl Ingebrethsen to Block Op er a- tor, Opers. Svcs. on 1/5/11; Biju V. Job to Locomotive Engineer, Opers. Svcs. on 1/18/11; Marlon J. Jones to Locomotive Engineer, Opers. Svcs. on 1/18/11; Mauricio L. Jones to Loco mo tive Engineer, Opers. Svcs. on 1/18/11; Laura J. Keegan to Loco motive Engineer, Opers. Svcs. on 1/18/11; Linda A. Kenwood to Administrator, Opers. Planning & Analysis on 1/5/11; John L. Kirner to Conductor, Opers. Svcs. on 1/10/11; Shawn P. Loughran to Locomotive Engineer, Opers. Svcs. on 1/18/11; Michael J. Maltese to Conductor, Opers. Svcs. on 1/10/11; Joseph R. Pasanello to Director, Opers. Admin. on 1/19/11. Movin on Here are more of your co-workers that have recently retired. Best wishes to all! Frank Cruz Trackworker, Track & Struc ture 7/5/1978-3/1/2010; Lawrence E. Bates Jr. Tinsmith, Track & Struc ture 5/29/1985-6/1/2010; Karen A. Distasio Financial Clerk, Track & Struc ture 12/12/1984-8/1/2010; Charles Sauer Locomotive Engineer, Opers. Svcs. 6/16/ /29/2010; Dennis J. Watson 3rd Railman, Power 1/31/ /30/2010; Leroy R. Cordes Machine Operator, Track & Struc ture 9/8/ /30/2010; Constancia M. Tizon PEP Admin. Asst., Controller s Office 5/21/ /30/2010; Richard C. Nowakowski Machinist, Mechanical 5/21/ /1/2010; Dennis J. Ciccarelli Coach Cleaner, Opers. Svcs. 4/17/ /24/2010; Vincent J. Lawrence Signal Maintainer, Com mu ni cations & Signals 10/11/ /30/2010; Robert C. Mitchell Electrician, Mech an i cal 3/14/ /1/2010. On the Road to Vision 2013 Here s how the railroad stands in some of our key goals for 2013 as of February 28, 2011: Feb YTD 2011 Goal Achieve Zero Injuries: FRA Reportable Injuries Lost Time Injuries Achieve 98% On-Time Performance: On-Time Performance (E of H) 95.4% 97.7% 97.8% Mean Distance Between Failure 57,770 57, ,000 Achieve 98% Customer Satisfaction: Consist Compliance (E of H) 97.6% 96.7% 98.6% Customer Complaint Index (per million riders) TBD Transport 100 Million Customers: Ridership (E of H) 5.69 mil mil Achieve 9% Reduction in Cost Per Passenger (from $11 to $10): Fare Operating Ratio 55.5% 56.4% 59.0% Cost Per Passenger $13.28 $13.07 $11.00 For more information, visit our intranet at or our extranet at 99 DAYS... That s how many 100% On-time Performance days we ve achieved this year on our 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10. PJL has attained six 100% days on April West of Hudson service as of April 10, 2011! And, if you are in the mood for a little The breakdown? We attained 55, 100% more April trivia, that means we ve operated OTP days on our Pascack Valley Line (PVL) 306 PVL trains on time and 205 (out of and 44, 100% OTP days on our Port Jervis 212) PJL trains on time! Line (PJL). Another superb effort by all the Metro- The most recent stats for the month of North and NJ Transit employees in the April show that through April 10th, our name of customer service! PVL has recorded 100% every day, while our Executive Editor: Mark Mannix Editor/Writer: Joe Antonacci Managing Editor/Writer: Nancy Huie Creative Director: Michael Stetson Senior Graphic Designer: Barbara Sarcich Photo Contributor: Meredith Conti Kyle McCarthy Published for the employees of MTA Metro North Railroad by Corporate & Public Affairs 345 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10017