Friday, May 13, 2011

Open access to LIRR trains


From Fox 5:

A Fox 5 News producer found an empty and unattended Long Island Rail Road with the doors wide open just sitting at the platform on the Long Island City station. He was able to walk right up the door and could have stepped right inside and into the driver's seat.

Trains only come and go at the LIC stop during rush hours. But in the middle of the day, the producer walked around for hours and the station was like a ghost town, not far from Pennsylvania Station, which is loaded with guards.

"It's calling terrorists to do something vulnerability highest degree," said security expert Juval Aviv.

Just down the street, the producer spotted what looked like a work train sitting alone and running. The fence around it was broken down giving anyone total access.

This LIRR stop is directly across the water from Manhattan and right next to the Queens-Midtown Tunnel

The Long Island Rail Road issued a statement in response to Fox 5's inquiry: "Both trains require a specialized key to operate. LIRR keeps idling engines in yards for operational reasons. The yard is staffed when equipment is present, and patrolled by MTA Police, which would prevent unauthorized operation of trains or locomotives. Passenger trains at stations that are not in use should have doors to the cars and cab closed. The LIRR is investigating this."

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Um, anyone can walk into any open train doors at any station. Not a whole lot of difference.

Anonymous said...

I wonder what are the "operational reasons" to keep these massive deisle engines spewing pollutants for hours while idling? There is a no idling law in NY concerning cars, buses and trucks. One of these trains idling is worse than 100 cars. In Richmond Hill Queens on Atlantic Ave, trains idle for hours just across the street from Smokey Oval park. You can smell the Deisle fumes on the far side of the park. It's time for the no idling law to be applied to trains.

Anonymous said...

Thoe "keys" are easily fabricated..........How about the basics,like repairing fencing and lighting! This is no differeent than what goes on in New York City Transit yards............