Letter to Thomas Prendergast, Chairman and CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority - Sleep Apnea Screenings for Long Island Railroad Engineers

Letter

Dear Mr. Prendergast:

I write to urge you to expeditiously develop a plan to screen and treat Long Island Railroad (LIRR) engineers for obstructive sleep apnea. I commend the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) for developing a pilot project to screen and treat Metro-North engineers, and I urge you to develop a similar plan for the LIRR as soon as possible.

As you well know, after the tragic Metro-North derailment in Spuyten Duyvil that killed four people and injured sixty, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended that both Metro-North and the LIRR develop protocols for screening safety-sensitive employees for sleep disorders. The NTSB also recommended that Metro-North and LIRR ensure that any employees diagnosed with such a disorder, like sleep apnea, receive the treatment they need. Metro-North has already taken steps to implement new safety procedures that will screen all 410 engineers and about 20 engineers in training. This process will help keep employees healthy, passengers safe, and assist in preventing accidents like the tragic derailment in the Bronx.

It should not take another accident for MTA to heed the NTSB's recommendations and test LIRR engineers for sleep disorders. The NTSB recommended that the Federal Railroad Administration require all railroads to screen for and treat sleep apnea more than a decade ago, after a 2001 accident in Michigan. I urge you to take steps to expand screening for sleep apnea and other disorders to LIRR engineers as soon as possible.

Thank you in advance for your consideration of this time sensitive request on such a critical safety issue. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact my office.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Schumer

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