Report warns of fatigue of LIRR workers

Report warns of fatigue of LIRR workers

The Long Island Rail Road logo is shown on the side of a LIRR commuter train, Wednesday, July 19, 2017, at Long Beach branch in Long Beach, N.Y. Speaking to a meeting of the Long Island Association Wednesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said $5.6 billion in upgrades will transform the Long Island Rail Road and help make up for decades of neglect. The work will involve laying 10 miles of new track to ease congestion along the busiest part of the rail road, along with the replacement of 20 miles of aging track. Stations will be renovated, parking will be added and signal switches and other equipment will be upgraded. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Hundreds of Long Island Rail Road employees in sensitive jobs have worked excessive hours, sometimes more than 24 hours at a time, causing accidents due to fatigue, according to a new audit by the MTA Inspector General’s office.

The report says many LIRR workers in the engineering department, specifically in the track division, are working a high number of hours which can lead to excessive fatigue and increase the risk of accidents.

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)