Giulietti said ongoing track improvement work is the biggest hindrance to reaching the stated goal and that improving the infrastructure is the best path to reaching the coveted 95 percent on-time rate moving forward, newstimes.com said.
The New Haven Line came close to hitting that number in September, with an on-time rate of 94.7 percent, but that number plummeted to 86.7 percent for October, newstimes.com reported.
Slip-slide occurs when crushed leaves and rain combine to create a slippery, gelatinouslike substance on the rails and causes wheels to slip and slide. In a worst-case scenario, slip-slide can cause trains to come to an emergency stop. It can also cause equipment damage that requires train cars to be taken out of service.
As a result of delays, Metro-North saw satisfaction rates drop 20 percent in a rider satisfaction survey conducted in June. The New Haven Line saw the largest drop with an overall satisfaction rating of 59 percent, which is 29 points lower than the previous year.
Gov. Dannel Malloy, who had praised the railroad for its commitment to improvement, said that commuters had a right to be upset with the on-time performance of the New Haven Line and said that it was clear the commuter rail still had "a long way to go."
The current on-time goal, according to Giulietti, is 92 percent. The Metro-North president said the timetable to get the New Haven line up to 95 percent is not yet set, but he plans on raising the minimum performance goal an unspecified amount in the coming year, according to newstimes.com.
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