Commuter Concern: How Worried Should You Be About Monday's Metro-North Derailment?

Scarsdale is a big commuter town. If you take the train into Grand Central each day, most likely your biggest concern is getting a seat on the 8:02 express or getting service on your blackberry or laptop on your way to or from the office. The train’s safety is probably not something you worry too much about.

A train derailment on Metro North’s Hudson line right in the middle of the Monday evening rush hour may give you pause: the 6pm train headed for Croton-Harmon derailed about 5 minutes after departing Grand Central. According to the MTA, the train was only going about 10 miles an hour and no one was hurt. However, the train was stuck in the tunnel for an hour and while the lights stayed on, the air conditioning was cut. If you recall, it was over 90 degrees outside on Monday. The passengers were evacuated near an emergency exit around 59th Street (we’ve all seen that sign) and boarded another train home. A fire department spokesperson said four pregnant women on board were taken to local hospitals to be checked out.

While this all sounds fairly miserable, it's not tragic. We’ve all seen news of train derailments that caused massive injuries and fatalities. Metro-North says it works very hard to keep the rails safe.

"Derailments are very rare and in Monday's case it happened at less than 10 mph. We maintain our tracks and will continue to do so. Safety is priority number one and we won't jeopardize the safety of our passengers or our employees," explains Marjorie Anders, an MTA spokesperson, when we spoke this week in light of the Croton-Harmon derailment.

William Henderson, Executive Director of the MTA's Citizen Advisory Committee, says that while he does not know the specifics of this case, weather frequently is a factor when it comes to derailments; in this case, it may have been the heat.

Henderson echos Anders when he says the derailment was quite rare for Metro-North. He adds that in those types of emergencies, though it may sound a bit 'goody-goody' it is really important to follow the crew's instructions. There are procedures in place to keep passengers safe. Yes, it is frustrating when you can see the platform from your window and think you could walk out and not be stuck on the train, but keeping you on the train could be for your own safety.

But could more derailments be ahead for riders?

Henderson says that going forward money is the biggest worry for the MTA and Metro-North. With budgetary cuts, maintenance cycles will likely get stretched. In large part that should be fine, but he doesn't want those cycles stretched beyond what is prudent.

Also in 2012, capital funding runs out and while Metro-North is in good shape, long term that could hurt the trains and the rails.

Something comforting is that the MTA has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to employees using electronic devices while the train is moving so no engineer or conductor can be texting or on the phone while the train is in motion. .

The MTA also points out that Metro-North logged 81.1 million trips last year and had a 97.7% on time record for 2010.

So, even if everything is safe and sound on the rails now, you may want to pack a bottle of water and a pair of comfortable shoes as you head into town.

Jen Geller is a freelance journalist who has covered the economy and markets for over a decade at a major financial news outlet. She lives in Scarsdale with her husband and 2 children. Jen has yet to bake a successful batch of cookies.