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Riders Call For Improved Safety On Metro-North After Fatal Accident

STAMFORD, Conn. -- A day after a deadly collision between a train and a vehicle in Valhalla, N.Y., commuters in Connecticut say safety and reliability must be improved on Metro-North Railroad. 

Rachel Teagle waits for her train to Washington, D.C., at the Stamford Train Station. She said safety and reliability of the rail system has to be improved for the state's many transit commuters.

Rachel Teagle waits for her train to Washington, D.C., at the Stamford Train Station. She said safety and reliability of the rail system has to be improved for the state's many transit commuters.

Photo Credit: Frank MacEachern
Commuters at the Stamford Train Station on Wednesday morning. Commuters say more has to be done on safety following the Tuesday night tragedy that killed six in Valhalla, N.Y., when a train struck a vehicle at a crossing.

Commuters at the Stamford Train Station on Wednesday morning. Commuters say more has to be done on safety following the Tuesday night tragedy that killed six in Valhalla, N.Y., when a train struck a vehicle at a crossing.

Photo Credit: Frank MacEachern
Commuters at the Stamford Train Station on Wednesday morning. Commuters say more has to be done on safety following the Tuesday night fatal train accident.

Commuters at the Stamford Train Station on Wednesday morning. Commuters say more has to be done on safety following the Tuesday night fatal train accident.

Photo Credit: Frank MacEachern

"It's scary definitely," Michelle Delgado of Stamford said of the accident that left six people dead. "But I have to use the train a couple of times a week."

Delgado made the comments just before catching a train to New Haven on Wednesday morning from the Stamford Transportation Center. She also noted that the investigation into the fatal accident is still early and the reasons for it still have to be determined.

Delgado said she takes the train for both work and personal reasons and said it beats driving on Interstate 95. But she said that more has to be done to improve reliability and safety for train riders.

That's a concern shared by Rachel Teagle of Stratford, who was waiting at the Stamford station to catch a train for Washington, D.C.

A safe and on-time system must be a priority because Connecticut's residents and businesses rely on the train service, she said.

"Connecticut is a commuter state, that's why we live here," she said.

The rail system seems to have struggled with safety issues over the last year, Teagle said. She's not sure whether that is due to increased reporting of accidents and delays or whether there has been an upswing in incidents. 

But the crash didn't deter her from taking the train: Driving to Washington, D.C., is a tough slog with heavy traffic and wintry weather, she said.

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