Report: More than 7,100 Metro-North defects in Conn.

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Federal inspectors over the last decade found more than 7,100 defects and deficiencies in Metro-North Railroad, but records obtained by a newspaper show regulators launched a full investigation only after two high-profile accidents last year.

Following a public records request, Hearst Connecticut Media reports that federal inspectors last year found broken joint bars and loose or missing rail braces that hold tracks to ties in Bridgeport, Norwalk, New Haven and Stamford.

Inspectors found numerous instances of passenger emergency equipment not being in place in New Haven and Stamford.

Marjorie Anders, a Metro-North spokeswoman, said the commuter railroad generally does better during federal inspections than most railroads.

"Every time a defect is cited, we fix them," she said.

Reports also show that following a derailment in Bridgeport last year and the death of a rail worker, federal officials significantly increased inspections

"Certainly, that would turn our attention to more inspections on that property," said Kevin Thompson, a spokesman at the Federal Railroad Administration.

Inspections during 2013 uncovered five times as many issues per 100 miles of track as similar inspections of other commuter railroads, he said.

"While that is a significant concern for us, it doesn't mean the railroad is unsafe to ride," Thompson said.

Metro-North has reduced train speed when necessary, responding to the "exceptions and defects" identified in federal inspections, he said.

The railroad has faced strong criticism from commuters and elected officials over numerous problems last year, including two derailments — one in the Bronx that left four passengers dead — and the Bridgeport accident in May that injured dozens of people.

A power outage in September also forced Metro-North to reduce service for nearly two weeks, infuriating passengers and leading many to take to their cars onto crowded Connecticut highways to avoid Metro-North.