MTA subway workers face "substantial" risk of death, injury, audit says

NEW YORK – Dozens of close calls and two tragic accidents have prompted the federal government to call for safety improvements in New York City's subway system, but the MTA is pushing back.

The Federal Transit Administration conducted an audit , and they say subway workers face unsafe conditions and even a substantial risk of death.

MTA accused of unsafe practices in federal audit

The report cites an accident from November in which an MTA worker was hit and killed by a train , and another accident in June when a worker was struck and critically injured.

It also identifies 38 near misses last year involving transit workers – a 58% jump from 2022. The FTA blames those close calls on workers failing to follow flagging procedures, improper radio use, a lack of supervision or train operator inattention.

The agency is directing a review of some the current safety and training programs, and it also says the New York Public Transportation Safety Board must submit monthly reports to show progress in lowering safety risks.

"Absolutely the subway is a far lesser place right now than it was just a few short years ago. There's been an extreme degradation of safety of both riders and in particular of workers," said John Samuelsen, international president for the Transport Workers Union.

Regarding customer safety, the audit says there were about 220 near misses last year which had the potential to either injure customers or cause property damage. The FTA says, much like the close calls with employees, most of those were caused by the failure of MTA employees to comply with safety rules and procedures.

MTA disputes audit's findings

The MTA already wrote a letter to the FTA Wednesday saying they'll appeal the directives.

Interim President Demetrius Crichlow wrote, "We strongly dispute FTA's view that New York City Transit has somehow been negligent when it comes to addressing the safety of track workers, one of our most essential priorities."

They also say it's premature to say unsafe conditions led to those two accidents in November and June because the causes of both are still under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.