New York Subway Deaths Lead To Installation Of Safety Devices

April 17, 2008 11:04 p.m. EST

New York City, NY (AHN) - Despite new safety measures, New York subway workers continue to be hit by trains because of the tendency of rail crews to cut corners and take risks, union and transit officials say..

In April 2007, Danny Boggs and Marvin Franklin were added to the list of subway employees who have been killed by the system's trains. Roger Toussaint, president of the Transport Workers Union Local 100, attributed the deaths of track workers to the culture of taking perilous shortcuts to finish work as soon as possible.

"It's not bravado. It's knocking out a project or task quickly so you can get off the tracks," Toussaint told the Daily News.

Among the measures put in place to improve safety were providing crew supervisors with radios to improve communication and briefings with motormen to pinpoint the location of workers doing track repairs. Additionally, motormen will notify workers by radio when entering work areas. Also, more areas have been designated where trains must slow down to 10 miles per hour.

It is not only train crews who are at risk. On April 11, a Long Island Rail Road passenger was hit by a train in Queens. Service on both tracks was suspended after the accident.