METRO-NORTH RAILROAD COMMUTER COUNCIL
MINUTES OF May 21, 2015
A meeting of the Metro-North Railroad Commuter Council (MNRCC) was convened at 4:30 pm on May 21, 2015 in the 10th floor Conference Room, Metro-North Offices-Graybar Building, 420 Lexington Avenue, New York City.
The following members were present:
Randolph Glucksman
The following members were on the telephone:
Francena Amparo
Richard Cataggio
Francis T. Corcoran
The following members were absent:
Rhonda Herman
Neal Zuckerman
In addition, the following persons were present:
William Henderson -PCAC Executive Director
Richard Schulman -Concerned Citizen
Approval of Agenda and Minutes
The agenda for the May 21, 2015 meeting was approved. Also approved were the Minutes of the April 16, 2015 meeting.
Board Report
William Henderson presented the written Board report and briefly commented on the performance Metro-North as reflected in the statistics in the report.
Francis Corcoran stated that the number of customer complaints that Metro-North receives are down according to its statistics, but he questioned the meaning of this decline. He said that it may be a case of customers not sending further complaints when they do not see prior complaints resolved. He also asked whether there are statistics kept on the number of alerts that are sent and said that he is seeing fewer alerts now than in prior months.
Mr. Henderson stated that he will find out whether there are statistics kept on the number of alerts that are sent out to riders.
Rich Cataggio commented on an article regarding Metro North track personnel not doing what they should. He stated that he will try and find the article and send it.
Chair’s Report
Randy Glucksman said that the Council will distribute a statement on the proposed discontinuation of train 1601. He said that if Metro-North is willing to provide the resources to maintain the train, the worst that will happen is that Metro-North picks up train as a Metro-North express and bears its full cost of operation, which is estimated at $600,000.
Election of Officers for 2015-2017
Francis Corcoran nominated the current Mr. Glucksman and Neal Zuckerman to another term in their current positions as Chair and Vice Chair. The members unanimously voted to reelect Mr. Glucksman and Mr. Zuckerman. The members also voted unanimously to present Mr. Glucksman as the Council’s choice as the PCAC Chair for the next two years, to be voted upon at the June PCAC meeting.
New Business
Francena Amparo asked whether the Council can give input on Metro-North’s schedules. She said that weekend schedules are now showing a trip of 102 minutes from New Hamburg to Grand Central. She said that the running time has been 90 minutes in the past, but that some earlier trains have a shorter running time.
Mr. Glucksman agreed that this is a long gap in service. Ms. Amparo said that the long trip acts as an incentive for people to drive into New York on the weekends. Mr. Henderson said that New York City’s parking policies make it even more difficult for Metro-North to compete with private cars on the weekends.
Mr. Henderson stated that he will ask Metro North for explanation of the lengthening of running times on weekend schedules. He said that he would also arrange for someone from Metro-North to come to a future meeting to explain how the Railroad develops its schedules.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 5:10 pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
William Henderson
Executive Director