Connecticut Lawmakers To Hear From Metro-North President At Operations Briefing

HARTFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Connecticut lawmakers will be briefed on the Metro-North Railroad's operations Monday.

Metro-North Railroad President Joseph Giulietti will address members of the General Assembly's Transportation Committee on a wide variety of topics during a forum planned at the Legislative Office Building.

As WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau reported, Giulietti is certain to speak to lawmakers about their primary concerns: safety and on-time performance of the New Haven line.

Listen to Connecticut Lawmakers To Hear From Metro-North President At Operations Briefing

State Rep. Gail Lavielle, of Wilton, said she plans to press for an update on providing Wi-Fi for every passenger who needs to work on a laptop while traveling on the train.

"If you don't have a data provider perpetually connected to your computer like you do with your phone, I don't for example, then you cannot get on the train and have a router traveling with you to give you Wi-Fi," Lavielle said.

The lawmaker said she also wants to hear more about a recent report by the Inspector General, which questioned the supervision and tracking of certain railroad employees, Schneidau reported.

There have been various bills proposed during this year's legislative session concerning Metro-North, including legislation that would have allowed another operator to bid on the commuter rail line. That proposal, however, did not come up for a vote.

Lawmakers have also expressed an interest in having a state representative on the MTA board of directors.

The proposals come in the wake of major incidents on the railroad, including a major power failure and several accidents, which prompted safety concerns.

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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