By Kyle Emshwiller
Airline personnel aren’t the only ones getting in trouble for being distracted on the job. A passenger recently caught a Metro-North engineer on camera reading the paper while operating the train, looking up occasionally to check the tracks. The passenger then posted the video to YouTube.
The engineer was reportedly the only employee responsible for reacting to falling items on the tracks.
According to the cameraman, he filmed the engineer through the compartment window—and subsequently posted to the Internet—out of concern for passengers’ safety.
Metro-North said the employee has been identified and taken out of service while they investigate the situation. In an attempt to prevent this type of behavior on the job, all engineers will reportedly be retrained on permitted activities while operating a train, officials said.
“Reading anything, texting, or using cell phones while operating a train is totally unacceptable,” Metro-North spokesperson Marjorie Anders told 1010 WINS. “Metro-North is taking action to prevent this kind of thing from ever happening again.”
Anders also said signal systems are in place to stop trains if engineers ignore signals.
Source: http://newyork.cbslocal.com