harmon coach & locomotive shops win brunel award · shops win brunel award over from toc read...

“A great amount of thought led up to the Harmon Replacement Project,” Director-Shops, Yards and Environment, Capital Engineering Michael Sickenius, who retired in July, notes. “The biggest determi-nant was that we wanted to improve safety, productivity, and efficiency in the way we maintain equipment at Harmon. In this way, we could build new high-tech facilities — which would include amenities for the employees — in a nod toward the future.”

The 65,000-square-foot Locomotive Shop boasts a “double open-ended configuration” (which means it has openings on both sides), improving employees’ ability to maneuver equipment into and out of the shop, while providing capacity for a total of 11 locomotives.

It has a new Double Topped Center Release Drop Table which helps employees achieve a higher degree of productivity and safety. Plus there are two-tiered work platforms that provide easy and safer access to the top and bottom of equipment.

August 2011The News Publication for MTA Metro-North Railroad Employees

A Brunel Award was bestowed upon our newly built Harmon Locomotive & Coach Shops for being the best in the category of Freight and Railway Support Buildings. The 21st century shops were built to maintain a 21st century fleet and to provide employees with a comfortable, safe and amenity-filled workspace. See story on this page for details.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE…

The little tanker car that could… Our Safety Dept. has a secret weapon to fight fires and promote some com munity goodwill! See details on page 2.

Spit and polish. We’re shining up some stations with cosmetic appeal as well as with some much appreciated infra structure changes. Read the story on page 4-5.

“Ferry ferry” nice! A new Ossining dock is providing our Haverstraw-Ossining Ferry customers with some new stability. Read the story on pages 4-5.

Whatta ride… After 40 years on the railroad, the Mechanical Department’s Ed Archibald says “farewell”. See details on page 6.

Metro-North’s newly built Harmon Coach and Locomotive Shops recently received a

prestigious Brunel Award in the category of Freight and Railway Support Buildings.

The Brunel Award competition, open to public and private railway organizations, re cog nizes and promotes the best in railway architecture, engineering, landscape and en vi ron mental design, product design, lo co mo-tive and car design, graphic arts, and corporate branding amongst the world’s rail ways. This year, 150 entries were received from 43 organizations in 15 nations. Metro-North was one of five U.S. organizations to win.

President Howard Permut says: “These shops represent the largest capital and engineer-ing project ever undertaken by Metro-North. We built these shops to be top-notch facilities in terms of modern equipment maintenance capability and in terms of providing employees with a safe and clean work environment… now we have received international acclaim as such.”

The two shops were built to provide a 21st century facility for a 21st century fleet.

Harmon Coach & Locomotive Shops Win Brunel Award

Over from TOC

Read us at home at www.yourmnr.orgcontinued on page 6

We’re Up For Excellence…We are also in the running for the prestigious Jury Prize for Overall Design Excellence which will be announced at the formal awards ceremony in Wash-ington, D.C. on October 14. This award is presented to the organization that best exhibits a holistic approach to design as evidenced by submissions in all competition categories. In addition to the Harmon Shop project, the sub mitted projects for each category are: Yankees- E. 153rd Street Station (Passenger Station Buildings); Opera-tions Control Center (Technical Infra-structure and Design); M8 Rail Cars (Rolling Stock); and The Home of the Stars Public Art Work at South Walls of Yankees- E. 153rd Street Station Pedestrian Bridge (Industrial Design, Graphics and Art Branding). US De part-ment of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will be presenting these coveted awards.

OnTrack_Aug11_v4.indd 1 8/22/11 2:09:05 PM

What the other members of our MTA family are up to.

Rail News

2 Jay Walder to Leave MTA. Jay H. Walder will leave his position as Chair-man and Chief Executive Officer of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority effective as of the close of business on October 21, 2011.

Mr. Walder will be joining the MTR Corporation in Hong Kong as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors. The MTR is a public-ly-traded company that operates rail services in Asia and Europe, and is involved in a wide range of business activities, including consulting and property development.

“I want to thank Governor Cuomo and former Governor Paterson for the honor of serving the people of New York State,” Walder said. “But most of all I want to thank you, the men and women who work so hard to provide these critically important transporta-tion services 24 hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week.”

Walder joined the MTA in October 2009, and in less than two years led an unprecedented overhaul of how the MTA operates, bringing fiscal stability and advancing a series of projects that are improving the daily experience of the MTA’s 8.5 million riders.

$MTA Preliminary 2012 Budget, Plan to Fund Capital Program Invest-ments The Metropolitan Transportation Authority 2012 Preliminary Budget and July Financial Plan for 2012

– 2015 builds on last year’s successful cost-cutting efforts, expected to yield $3.8 billion in cumulative savings by 2014, to achieve a balanced budget while avoiding service cuts and fare and toll increases in 2012.

However, risks remain, including continued economic uncertainty and the need for labor participation to control wage and benefit costs. The Plan also acknowledges and addresses the need for an innovative and pragmatic financ-ing strategy for the final three years of the MTA’s 2010-2014 Capital Program.

…extinguish brush fires with a stream of water traveling up

to 150 feet away!During the 1980s, when brush fires were a

usual occurrence, we obtained this fire-fighting arsenal of three 10,000-gallon water tanker cars…

Today, thanks to heightened fire safety awareness by the general public and better housekeeping along our right of way, these tanker cars actively take part in non-emer-gency situations as well.

We obtained these tanker cars in the mid-1980s from Conrail when brush fires near our right of way were on the upswing. “Back in the 1980s, for example, we had significant numbers of fishermen who would illegally cross our tracks to fish the Hudson River; their unattended camp fires would sometimes start a brush fire,” Deputy Chief Safety Officer Joe Streany notes. “Those areas were oftentimes remote and inaccessible by road. In those cases, firefighters would oftentimes pull their hoses across our tracks, shutting down service, to battle the blazes — that’s when we approached Conrail for these water tanker cars.”

The red-painted tanker cars are situated at Harmon, Brewster and Stamford, where they can be quickly hooked up to a diesel locomotive, crewed and sent on the way to battle a blaze.

The last time a water tanker was pressed into service was about three years ago when south of Brewster Station a brush fire started in a remote area only accessible by foot or vehicles smaller than a pick-up truck.

More dramatic was a fire about 15 years ago, when Camp Smith, a National Guard training base just north of Peekskill, called for help. It was a big fire that jumped Route 6/202 and headed down to the Hudson River AND the tracks.

“The situation was dire — I remember spending about 3 to 4 days there,” Streany says. “Not only did we help local fire departments fight this fire, we were able to keep service operating through that area.”

How? “First, we protected our infrastruc-ture. Second, the fire departments would have had to run their hoses across our tracks to source water from the Hudson River — by using our water tanker, we brought a water source to them and kept service running… it was truly a win-win situation all around.”

Today brush fires are rarer so the tankers serve other functions. For example, on occasions when the water supply is tempo-rarily shut down at one of our facilities, a tanker is pressed into service as a back-up fire protection system.

These water tankers also help us be good neighbors! From time to time, when our Track Department is laying down new ballast close to a residential area, the tankers are called into service to water down the ballast keeping any dust issues from developing.

And, as old as they may be, these tankers are still in tiptop condition. Each spring they are flushed, refilled, and refurbished; that’s also the time when the 25 or so employees (mostly Metro-North Fire Brigade members) qualified to operate the tankers go through a refresher course.

“We realize the importance of these cars, so in 2004 all three went through a major tune-up and one of them was retrofitted with a super long-distance spray nozzle that makes it the super-tanker of the bunch,” Assistant Fire Chief Bob Stinson adds.

And they are pretty versatile. They are fitted with portable pumps capable of pumping 500 gallons per minute of water — however, if need be, the pump can be removed and used to siphon water out of a lake, stream, pond, river or even a swimming pool.

The Little Red Tanker Car That Could...

A “Tank-less” Mission…

Last winter, the tanker car assigned to Harmon was fitted with a “deck mounted” nozzle that allows crews to spray water as far as up to 150 feet. The other two tankers have portable pumps, allowing firefighters to

continued on page 8

Harmon Fire Brigade members Captain Ken Korzenowski and Captain Joe Hyatt participate in a refresher course about operating the water tanker car.

Our Environmental Compliance & Service Departmemt collaborated with Operations Services and Track & Structure to remove a remote petro tanker.

Here’s a story about our Environmental Compliance & Services (ECS) Department which, for the sake of Mother Nature, recently journeyed into the “wilds” to remove a 2,000-gallon petroleum storage tank from Middle Tunnel on the Hudson Line. (Middle Tunnel is located between Manitou and Peekskill, NY.)

It isn’t an easy journey to get to the tank, which was installed more than 15 years ago and is situated on a ridge overlooking the Hudson River. “The only way to access the petroleum tank is by high rail,” ECS Compliance Coordinator Gail Silke, who supervised the project, notes.

You might ask why Silke and others would make such a “perilous” trip… Well, while the tank was no longer in use, the New York State Department of Environ-mental Conservation (NYSDEC) still calls for monthly inspections of petroleum tanks over 1,100 gallons, so it literally took hours out of the day for those who were involved in conducting the inspection.

“While these inspection forays were easily arranged (thanks to the coopera-tion of our Poughkeepsie Track Depart-ment which also provide escort!), they were timing consuming and unproduc-tive,” Silke says.

“Taking all these factors into consider-ation — and the possibility of an even-tual spill in an inaccessible area — we concluded that the tank had to go.”

Silke didn’t hoist that tank and carry it out — in a classic example of inter-depart-mental cooperation, she and ECS members worked with Harmon Struc-tures’ Greg McConnell and his group, plus Operations Services’ Kevin Catone to remove the tank from the pristine area.

The tank was vacuumed, cleaned and removed on June 14th; the next day it was brought to a scrap yard for disposal.


3This month we’d like to tell you about some ongoing “green” efforts throughout Metro-North...”

Go Green With the recent Energy Alerts and Emergency Energy Advisories, we wanted to talk about the difference between energy conservation and energy efficien-cy and how both save energy.

energy conservation is what you do personally to reduce the energy you use. For example, if you lower your thermostat by 1° you can save up to 2% in electricity costs. Turn off your computer or set it to standby when not in use and save up to $75 per year.

Choose a lower-energy option—did you know a ceiling fan uses only one-tenth the electricity of an air conditioner? That’s savings!

energy efficiency is using appliances that consume less electricity during their normal operation. Compact flores-cent lights use ¼ the energy of an ordinary incandescent bulb while lasting 8 – 12 times longer. Energy Star appli-ances and electronics could save you 30% or more on your electricity bill. (http:// energy star .support portal .com/ link/ portal/ 23002/ 23018/ Article/ 22310/ What -is -ENERGY -STAR)

Combine energy efficiency and energy conservation for greater results. Com-pare a 100 watt incandescent bulb vs. its equivalent 25 watt compact fluores-cent bulb (CFL).

If you left on both on 24/7/365, the CFL would save 75% of electricity use. Use the incandescent bulb and conserve energy by turning the light off when not in use (let’s say it’s on 8 hours daily) and you would save 66% of electricity use. It gets better — do both of these and you will save over 90% of electricity use!

Check out www .con ed .com/ the power of green for more energy conservation and efficiency tips.

“The situation was dire — I remember spending about 3 to 4 days there,” Streany says. “Not only did we help local fire departments fight this fire, we were able to keep service operating through that area.”

How? “First, we protected our infrastruc-ture. Second, the fire departments would have had to run their hoses across our tracks to source water from the Hudson River — by using our water tanker, we brought a water source to them and kept service running… it was truly a win-win situation all around.”

Today brush fires are rarer so the tankers serve other functions. For example, on occasions when the water supply is tempo-rarily shut down at one of our facilities, a tanker is pressed into service as a back-up fire protection system.

These water tankers also help us be good neighbors! From time to time, when our Track Department is laying down new ballast close to a residential area, the tankers are called into service to water down the ballast keeping any dust issues from developing.

And, as old as they may be, these tankers are still in tiptop condition. Each spring they are flushed, refilled, and refurbished; that’s also the time when the 25 or so employees (mostly Metro-North Fire Brigade members) qualified to operate the tankers go through a refresher course.

“We realize the importance of these cars, so in 2004 all three went through a major tune-up and one of them was retrofitted with a super long-distance spray nozzle that makes it the super-tanker of the bunch,” Assistant Fire Chief Bob Stinson adds.

And they are pretty versatile. They are fitted with portable pumps capable of pumping 500 gallons per minute of water — however, if need be, the pump can be removed and used to siphon water out of a lake, stream, pond, river or even a swimming pool.

The Little Red Tanker Car That Could...

costs. Turn off your computer or set it to standby when not in use and save up to $75 per year.

Choose a lower-energy option—did you know a ceiling fan uses only one-tenth

A “Tank-less” Mission…

Last winter, the tanker car assigned to Harmon was fitted with a “deck mounted” nozzle that allows crews to spray water as far as up to 150 feet. The other two tankers have portable pumps, allowing firefighters to

manually attach hoses to spray along the right-of-way. They are expected to be fitted with deck-mounted nozzles by our very own mechanical experts in North White Plains in the near future. n

Harmon Fire Brigade members Captain Ken Korzenowski and Captain Joe Hyatt participate in a refresher course about operating the water tanker car.

Our Environmental Compliance & Service Departmemt collaborated with Operations Services and Track & Structure to remove a remote petro tanker.

Here’s a story about our Environmental Compliance & Services (ECS) Department which, for the sake of Mother Nature, recently journeyed into the “wilds” to remove a 2,000-gallon petroleum storage tank from Middle Tunnel on the Hudson Line. (Middle Tunnel is located between Manitou and Peekskill, NY.)

It isn’t an easy journey to get to the tank, which was installed more than 15 years ago and is situated on a ridge overlooking the Hudson River. “The only way to access the petroleum tank is by high rail,” ECS Compliance Coordinator Gail Silke, who supervised the project, notes.

You might ask why Silke and others would make such a “perilous” trip… Well, while the tank was no longer in use, the New York State Department of Environ-mental Conservation (NYSDEC) still calls for monthly inspections of petroleum tanks over 1,100 gallons, so it literally took hours out of the day for those who were involved in conducting the inspection.

“While these inspection forays were easily arranged (thanks to the coopera-tion of our Poughkeepsie Track Depart-ment which also provide escort!), they were timing consuming and unproduc-tive,” Silke says.

“Taking all these factors into consider-ation — and the possibility of an even-tual spill in an inaccessible area — we concluded that the tank had to go.”

Silke didn’t hoist that tank and carry it out — in a classic example of inter-depart-mental cooperation, she and ECS members worked with Harmon Struc-tures’ Greg McConnell and his group, plus Operations Services’ Kevin Catone to remove the tank from the pristine area.

The tank was vacuumed, cleaned and removed on June 14th; the next day it was brought to a scrap yard for disposal.


4 4 5T his year has been exceptional for Metro-North Capital Programs — our Harmon

Locomotive & Coach Shops won a Brunel Award and we are still in the running for The Jury Prize for Overall Design Ex cel lence to be announced in October. Our Hudson Line Station Improvement project at Philipse Manor, Ossining and Scarborough merited the Greater NY Con-struc tion Council’s 2011 Top Project in the Infrastructure Category.

In this issue, we’d like to call your attention to ongoing and recently completed improve-ments at some “future” award-winners:

According to Senior Architect Henry Kopec, recently completed building im provements at Fordham Station include: repairs to the roof, exterior walls and entrance doors; reopening of the center main doors into the waiting room; refurbishment of the windows and transom; rehabilitation of the building’s interior; installation of a drainage system; masonry cleaning and mortar repair; installation of new lighting, a new Ticket Machine room and a new heating system, as well as air conditioning for the ticket office, communication room and the police office.

At Tarrytown Station, we are in the midst of replacing both the track 2/4 center island platform and the track 3 side platform, as

well as installing new north and south overpasses. Both overpasses will be fully enclosed and heated and the north overpass will be serviced by three elevators.

When finished, according to Assistant Director-Facilities Engineering Geoff Dopsch, the reconstructed platforms will also feature canopies, heated shelters, lighting, benches, public address and visual

information systems, as well as tactile warning strips.

As of June, 51% of the project has been completed, and we expect all the platforms will be available for customer use in mid-2012, Dopsch adds.

At Croton-Harmon Station, improvements currently underway will include the replace-ment of a 2-car-length segment of the

plat form; replacement of the roofing for the north overpass; as well as canopy extensions and other related work.

At Peekskill Station, improvements include rehabilitation of the overpass and platform. The outbound platform canopy roof will be replaced and two new staircases will be constructed to the overpass. In addition, the elevator cabs and controls will be replaced, and the station will be repainted.

Cortlandt Station is scheduled for comple-tion in December 2011, Assistant Director-Facilities Parking Mukesh Mehta says. The project will improve access and increase parking capacity on the Hudson Line by further developing the Cortlandt Station

Land Ho!The new Ossining Ferry Dock, which was finished this summer, provides our Haverstraw-Ossining Ferry customers with a larger and heavier dock featuring wider passenger ramps and more stability in harsh weather.

State Assemblywoman Sandra Galef of Ossining secured $230,000 for the new floating dock and the NYS Department of Trans porta tion provided another $250,000.

The Haverstraw-Ossining ferry service, provided by NY Waterway and contracted by Metro-North, carries about 450-500 people per day.

Some of our stations that are being polished (with cosmetic as well as infrastructure work)

to a brilliant shine include (l.-r.) Poughkeepsie, Tarrytown, Cortlandt, and Fordham Stations.

The new Ossining Dock is strong, wider and more stable compared to the former dock (inset).

Some Future Award Winners...


4 5 5T his year has been exceptional for Metro-North Capital Programs — our Harmon

Locomotive & Coach Shops won a Brunel Award and we are still in the running for The Jury Prize for Overall Design Ex cel lence to be announced in October. Our Hudson Line Station Improvement project at Philipse Manor, Ossining and Scarborough merited the Greater NY Con-struc tion Council’s 2011 Top Project in the Infrastructure Category.

In this issue, we’d like to call your attention to ongoing and recently completed improve-ments at some “future” award-winners:

According to Senior Architect Henry Kopec, recently completed building im provements at Fordham Station include: repairs to the roof, exterior walls and entrance doors; reopening of the center main doors into the waiting room; refurbishment of the windows and transom; rehabilitation of the building’s interior; installation of a drainage system; masonry cleaning and mortar repair; installation of new lighting, a new Ticket Machine room and a new heating system, as well as air conditioning for the ticket office, communication room and the police office.

At Tarrytown Station, we are in the midst of replacing both the track 2/4 center island platform and the track 3 side platform, as

well as installing new north and south overpasses. Both overpasses will be fully enclosed and heated and the north overpass will be serviced by three elevators.

When finished, according to Assistant Director-Facilities Engineering Geoff Dopsch, the reconstructed platforms will also feature canopies, heated shelters, lighting, benches, public address and visual

information systems, as well as tactile warning strips.

As of June, 51% of the project has been completed, and we expect all the platforms will be available for customer use in mid-2012, Dopsch adds.

At Croton-Harmon Station, improvements currently underway will include the replace-ment of a 2-car-length segment of the

plat form; replacement of the roofing for the north overpass; as well as canopy extensions and other related work.

At Peekskill Station, improvements include rehabilitation of the overpass and platform. The outbound platform canopy roof will be replaced and two new staircases will be constructed to the overpass. In addition, the elevator cabs and controls will be replaced, and the station will be repainted.

Cortlandt Station is scheduled for comple-tion in December 2011, Assistant Director-Facilities Parking Mukesh Mehta says. The project will improve access and increase parking capacity on the Hudson Line by further developing the Cortlandt Station

into a strategic passenger intermodal facility. Started in 2009, improvements will

include a new parking facility on the west side of the tracks of up to 720 spaces (in creasing the parking inventory from 885 to 1,605 spaces). Modifications to Route 9A interchange,

extension of the existing pedestrian overpass and waiting area, new intermodal areas, and storm water management measures are also underway.

The project is currently about two-thirds completed.

The recent completion of the fourth phase of the rehabilitation of the historic Pough-keepsie Station building, which began in

2005, looks as “good as old.”Senior Electrical Engineer Franklin

Streeter notes that this latest phase of work saw the installation of new

windows, in clud ing the monu-mental windows facing east, as well as new doors throughout. The brick work was also repointed.We expect to start the next stage

of building renovation in 2012 with the repointing of the building’s south wall,

and for the final phase we’ll install building mechanical systems, including life/safety and heating/ventilation systems, as well as upgrade of electrical services.

On the inside, Streeter explains, we’ve al ready restored the wood ceiling and frame, cleaned the brick walls, repaired the terra cotta and lobby floor, and installed new marble pavers.

Previous station building work brought about replacement of Spanish tiles, more terra cotta rehabilitation, and the installation of a new storm and sanitary sewer system.

Finally, on the New Haven Line design for repair work at the remaining New York State stations — Mt. Vernon East, Pelham, New Rochelle, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, Harrison — has been completed, Assistant Director-Facilities Engineering Nicholas Scarano says. Start of construction work has not been determined at press time.

We think all of these projects seem award-winning — what do you think? n

The new Ossining Dock is strong, wider and more stable compared to the former dock (inset).

Th

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Award Winners...


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through helped to create the fabric of what we are today,” Ed says. “Back then we had to think hard about how to modify or make a part to use on equipment… we worked 17-hour days, fought with each other when there was a problem to resolve and then got together for a few laughs afterward.”

As for safety? “Back then we worried about safety later — it is great that the railroad has made so many strides in focusing on the welfare of its most precious asset, the people,” Ed adds.

While Ed was looking forward to the next phase of his life, he readily admits “I’ll miss the people tremendously and miss the equipment — these constituted my life for a long, long time.

“I have had the honor of working with some of the finest minds in the industry, performing at every level from Coach Cleaner to Presi-dent… I will never forget them,” Ed notes.

What’s next? “I’ll do some camping, home improvement projects, golfing and touch base with my railroad friends,” Ed says.

Best of luck and thanks, Ed, for the memories! n

6 James ScullinPep Mail Clerk, Passenger Revenue Accounting We need to have 24-hour service as we are now living in a 24-hour world. By doing this we can expand our ridership significantly.

Keith SmithConductorWhat about having more events at Yankee Stadium? With the concert there last summer, the Army football game, and the Pinstripe Bowl, we

saw many new customers. Each new season at the stadium attracts more new customers once they realize how convenient the service is and how economical the prices are!

By 2013 We Will:

TrAnSpOrT 100 MilliOn CuSTOMerS

We spoke to some employees in GCT about how we could attain this goal.

Two-tier platforms in the Harmon Locomotive Shop make equipment more accessible.

6

What A Ride!!

When Ed Archibald — who retired in July after four decades of railroad service — joined Metro-North Railroad in 1983, he knew he was in for the ride of his life! The equipment was in bad shape, there was no money, and there was only a sparse inventory of parts.

The only thing going for the men and women of this struggling railroad, Ed notes, was their perseverance.

“I had the time of my life! The men and women of this railroad knew how to rebuild, fabricate and make something out of nothing,” Ed says.

He should know — after joining Penn Central as a Laborer and becoming Apprentice Electri-cian after less than a year, he got “the call” in 1983 from Metro-North to maintain the diesel fleet as a General Foreman – Diesel Locomotive.

It wasn’t an easy task — it was the sunset of the FL9 fleet which was being held together with tape and chewing gum. “You can liken the FL9s to a 1957 Chevy,” Ed quips.

“Back then, a person had to learn every-one’s job and be proficient at everything to some extent,” Ed says. “It was tough, but any accomplishment and satisfaction that came with the job was well earned!”

Fast forward to the 21st century and Ed is dealing with policy and procedures, training and government issues. “I do a variety of things,” Ed notes shortly before retiring. “I feel as if I have a bigger impact now and that all my past jobs prepared me for this.”

Taking a look back, Ed cites the equipment advancements, our safety record and people as the railroad’s greatest achievements.

“The tough times that Metro-North went

Brunel Award continued from page 1

One of the 850-foot-long Coach Shop’s many highlights is its six new tracks, three of which are “lift tracks” that are equipped with car hoists.

Additionally there are two consist maintenance tracks, each of which can accommodate up to eight EMU (electric multiple unit) cars or 10 coaches.

In all, the new tracks give us the capability to inspect or repair 28 cars simultaneously!

Specialized equipment and numerous safety features enhance the facilities. The primary air handling system is designed to detect diesel fumes and automatically activate exhaust fans.

The shops also have a system of pumps that distribute service fluids such as lubri-cants, detergents, and rust inhibitors to each work station. Compressed air is distributed throughout. A state-of-the-art storage and retrieval system delivers parts and tracks inventory instantaneously.

The shops allow for the recycling of materials from light bulbs and batteries to crankcase oil, which is reused on site as fuel

for the building’s heating system. Diesel fuel is delivered via an overhead trestle system from a central point eliminating the need for multiple underground

tanks. The shops are equipped with high efficiency water systems

to minimize usage. Rooftop storm water is collected and treated through four 50,000-gallon oil-water separators, yielding discharge above state standards.

Metro-North also submitted several other outstanding Capital Programs projects which we think are award-winning too! • (Passenger Station Buildings):

Yankees-E. 153rd Street Station • (Technical Infrastructure and Design):

Operations Control Center • (Rolling Stock):

M8 Rail Cars • (Industrial Design,Graphics and

Art Branding): The Home of the Stars Public Art Work at South Walls of Yankees- E. 153rd Street Station Pedestrian Bridge n

We can work on 28 train cars simultaneously in the new Harmon Coach Shop.

Ed and his wife Judy (left) get a fond farewell from Ed’s coworkers (l.-r.) Art McMurray, Ray Tyrell, John Bliss, Claudia Depompeis, and Jay Walpole.

This

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through helped to create the fabric of what we are today,” Ed says. “Back then we had to think hard about how to modify or make a part to use on equipment… we worked 17-hour days, fought with each other when there was a problem to resolve and then got together for a few laughs afterward.”

As for safety? “Back then we worried about safety later — it is great that the railroad has made so many strides in focusing on the welfare of its most precious asset, the people,” Ed adds.

While Ed was looking forward to the next phase of his life, he readily admits “I’ll miss the people tremendously and miss the equipment — these constituted my life for a long, long time.

“I have had the honor of working with some of the finest minds in the industry, performing at every level from Coach Cleaner to Presi-dent… I will never forget them,” Ed notes.

What’s next? “I’ll do some camping, home improvement projects, golfing and touch base with my railroad friends,” Ed says.

Best of luck and thanks, Ed, for the memories! n

T o whom it may concern,

Today I unfortunately misplaced my police credentials on the 8:21 train from Tarrytown. After making several inquiries, I ended up at the Lost & Found desk in Grand Central Terminal. I would like to commend and recognize the wonderful Customer Service Associate named Sandra who was so cheerful, helpful and professional in assisting me in ultimately recovering my shield and related documents. It is certainly quite uncommon and refreshing to interact with such a positive and professional person. Sandra is a credit to Metro-North Railroad and a model for all others in the organization. I cannot thank her enough and kudos to her supervisor who was cordial and friendly as well.

Thanks again. —Karl HAGSTRoM

CusTomerCoRNeRThis 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.

James ScullinPep Mail Clerk, Passenger Revenue Accounting We need to have 24-hour service as we are now living in a 24-hour world. By doing this we can expand our ridership significantly.

Keith SmithConductorWhat about having more events at Yankee Stadium? With the concert there last summer, the Army football game, and the Pinstripe Bowl, we

saw many new customers. Each new season at the stadium attracts more new customers once they realize how convenient the service is and how economical the prices are!

Ernest Green Jr.Work Force Manager, Crew Management Office We need to continue providing the top level service we provide now and that goal should be an easy one to achieve.

Audrey JohnsonCustomer Service RepresentativeWe need to advertise more. Even with all the information available out there today, there are still a lot of people out

there that don’t know about Metro-North. We advertise on the train and on the radio but what about on tv?

John WeyhauserCustomer Service Representative Continue doing what we are doing now – clean, on-time trains and good customer service are important to our customers.

Fred SuttonLocomotive EngineerWith the price of gas going up as much as it has recently, taking the train is economically smart. I think we might be able to reach that

goal if gas prices continue to go higher.

By 2013 We Will:

TrAnSpOrT 100 MilliOn CuSTOMerS

We spoke to some employees in GCT about how we could attain this goal.

7

What A Ride!!

When Ed Archibald — who retired in July after four decades of railroad service — joined Metro-North Railroad in 1983, he knew he was in for the ride of his life! The equipment was in bad shape, there was no money, and there was only a sparse inventory of parts.

The only thing going for the men and women of this struggling railroad, Ed notes, was their perseverance.

“I had the time of my life! The men and women of this railroad knew how to rebuild, fabricate and make something out of nothing,” Ed says.

He should know — after joining Penn Central as a Laborer and becoming Apprentice Electri-cian after less than a year, he got “the call” in 1983 from Metro-North to maintain the diesel fleet as a General Foreman – Diesel Locomotive.

It wasn’t an easy task — it was the sunset of the FL9 fleet which was being held together with tape and chewing gum. “You can liken the FL9s to a 1957 Chevy,” Ed quips.

“Back then, a person had to learn every-one’s job and be proficient at everything to some extent,” Ed says. “It was tough, but any accomplishment and satisfaction that came with the job was well earned!”

Fast forward to the 21st century and Ed is dealing with policy and procedures, training and government issues. “I do a variety of things,” Ed notes shortly before retiring. “I feel as if I have a bigger impact now and that all my past jobs prepared me for this.”

Taking a look back, Ed cites the equipment advancements, our safety record and people as the railroad’s greatest achievements.

“The tough times that Metro-North went

Ed and his wife Judy (left) get a fond farewell from Ed’s coworkers (l.-r.) Art McMurray, Ray Tyrell, John Bliss, Claudia Depompeis, and Jay Walpole.


MovIN’ UpCongratulations to these employees who were recently promoted or transferred:

Kelly Ann Baldino to Conductor, Opers. Svcs. on 4/27/11; Krist Gjidoda to Conductor, Opers. Svcs. on 4/27/11; Ian A. Goulbourne to Yardmaster on 3/16/11; Helen M. Jenkins to Conductor, Opers. Svcs. on 4/27/11; Peter LoPiccolo Jr. to Conductor, Opers. Svcs. on 4/27/11; Goma T. Maynard to Conductor, Opers. Svcs. on 4/27/11; russell D. Merritt Assistant Director, M of W Operating Cap. on 3/30/11; Jeanine M. Moran to Conductor, Opers. Svcs. on 4/27/11; Joseph J. Pavone to Director-Budget, Finan. & Admin. on 1/12/11; Deborah M. Thompson to Conductor, Opers. Svcs. on 4/27/11; robert Worrell to Coach Cleaner, Opers. Svcs. on 3/24/11.

MovIN’ oNHere are more of your co-workers that have recently retired. Best wishes to all!

Thomas J. Gleason Locomotive Engineer, Opers. Svcs. 12/16/74-1/1/11; richard e. ring Sr. Foreman, M of E 5/2/74-3/1/11; William F. Costello Assistant Director, Communications & Signals 8/27/74-3/31/11; raymond Lopez Asst. Deputy Director, Proc. & Material Mgmt. 8/17/83-3/31/11; robert A. Marino Sr. Inventory Control Clerk, Proc. & Material Mgmt. 8/2/84-3/31/11; Charles S. Copes Jr., Lead Inventory Control Clerk, Proc. & Material Mgmt.7/6/87-3/31/11; Susan V. Booth Conductor, Opers. Svcs. 10/30/78-4/1/11; robert A. Malaspina Operations Manager, Opers. Svcs. 10/31/79-4/1/11; Alfredo T. Villaflor Jr., Sheetmetal Worker, M of E 1/18/88-4/1/11; Balram Jaikaran Lead Ticket Seller, Customer Service 4/3/89-4/1/11; Daniel M. Daly Conductor, Opers. Svcs. 5/14/74-4/1/11; John M. Manning Locomotive Engineer, Opers. Svcs. 6/21/74-4/1/11; raymond T. Castrovinci Electrician, M of E 6/17/72-4/12/11; Joseph Zilembo III Director, Customer Service 4/26/73-4/30/11.

Executive Editor: Mark MannixEditor/Writer: Joe Antonacci

Managing Editor/Writer: Nancy Huie

Creative Director: Michael StetsonSenior Graphic Designer: Barbara SarcichPhoto Contributors: Kyle McCarthy

Meredith Conti

Published for the employees of MTA Metro-North Railroad by Corporate & Public Affairs345 Madison AvenueNew York, NY 10017

on the Road to vision 2013Here’s how the railroad stands in some of our key goals for 2013 as of June 30, 2011:

June 2011 YTD 2011 GoalAchieve Zero Injuries:FRA Reportable Injuries 16 93 122Lost Time Injuries 8 60 63Achieve 98% On-Time Performance:On-Time Performance (E of H) 96.8% 96.6% 97.8%Mean Distance Between Failure 143,179 94,215 125,000Achieve 98% Customer Satisfaction:Consist Compliance (E of H) 99.2% 98.5% 98.6%Customer Complaint Index (per million riders) 144.9 182.4 TBDTransport 100 Million Customers:Ridership (E of H) 7.16 mil 39.12 mil 84.13 milAchieve 9% reduction in Cost Per Passenger (from $11 to $10):Fare Operating Ratio (preliminary) 68.80% 64.00% 59.0%Cost Per Passenger (preliminary) $11.28 $12.13 $11.00Achieve $75 Million Increase in non-Passenger revenue:Incremental Non-Fare Revenues $761,102 $1,256,068 $7.23 mil

For more information, visit our intranet at www.mnr.org or our extranet at www.yourmnr.org.

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The July Plan is preliminary; the MTA Board will vote on a final budget in December.

“By keeping our focus on making every dollar count, this financial plan brings stability back to the MTA’s finances,” MTA Chairman and CEO Jay H. Walder said. “As a result, we’re able to meet our commitments to avoid service cuts and fare increases

next year. The savings also pave the way for a new funding strategy that will advance vital capital investments that protect the safety and reliability of our transportation network.”

See the full details of Financial Plan at www .mta .info, or under the Budget Watch section of our intranet at www .yourmnr.org.

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