COMMUTER COUNCIL PRESSES PLAN

FOR “QUIET CARS” ON METRO-NORTH

(New York, NY – 7/17/01):   The campaign for quieter commuting by rail took another step forward today as Jim Cameron, Vice Chmn. of the CT Rail Commuters’ Council presented his plan for “quiet cars” to the Board of Metro-North.  Railroad officials agreed to study the concept.

Responding to many complaints from riders about loud, disruptive cellphone usage on Metro-North, the Commuter Council last month endorsed Cameron’s plan for one designated quiet car per set of four cars.  Cameron presented the Council’s idea to the Metro-North board at its monthly meeting in NYC, including print-outs of commuter comments from the Council’s website and media editorials endorsing the idea.

“No single issue has brought forth more comments in the ten years I’ve been on the Council,” said Cameron, who commutes out of Darien.  “We asked the railroad to at least consider our plan especially in light of the popularity and success of a similar policy on Amtrak trains.”

Cameron also asked Metro-North to study riders’ views on the issue in its next Customer Satisfaction survey, and to commence a public education campaign to raise riders’ awareness of appropriate cellphone use. 

Metro-North President Peter Cannito agreed that cellphone abuse is an issue, that more opinion polling is appropriate, and that a public education campaign is a good idea.  But  he expressed skepticism about the viability of the “Quiet Car” on Metro-North due to crowding conditions on the trains.

Cameron promised the Metro-North Board that he would follow up on this proposal in September as part of a larger “Passenger Bill of Rights” concept he will discuss with the Commuter Council.

For more information, visit the CT Rail Commuter Council website at www.trainweb.org/ct

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