MTA will test for apnea on its own
THE MTA WILL keep testing for sleep apnea — the disorder that afflicted a Metro-North engineer during a fatal 2013 derailment — despite the Trump administration’s decision to yank the rule.
After the Bronx derailment that killed four people, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority started to screen and treat sleep apnea among Metro-North workers. This year, the program expanded to subway crews, bus drivers and commuter rail workers.
“This does absolutely nothing to change the MTA’s commitment to sleep apnea screening and testing,” said agency spokesman Shams Tarek. “Safety is the top priority at the MTA and regardless of any federal requirements we’re performing sleep apnea screening across all of our agencies, covering nearly 20,000 employees.”
In the 2013 Metro-North derailment north of the Spuyten Duyvil station, the train sped into a sharp turn. The engineer, who had said he felt “dazed,” suffered from undiagnosed sleep apnea.