Politics & Government

Report: Metro-North Fires Conductor Candidates for Cheating on Safety Test

A total of nine Metro-North conductor candidates were fired and three were reassigned.

An entire class of Metro-North train conductor candidates has been fired for allegedly cheating on a safety test, according to the New York Daily News which broke the story. 

Reporter Pete Donohue writes that one or more of the candidates obtained a critical safety exam before it was administered, photographed it using a smartphone and shared it to other candidates.

Nine candidates were fired and three were reassigned, which represents an entire candidate class.

"We were alerted about two weeks ago," Metro-North spokesperson Aaron Donovan told The Journal News. "We're conducting a full investigation and take this very seriously, which is why have disbanded a class."

The test was taken from an instructor's bag about two months ago, just before the it was administered, and Metro-North began investigating the incident about two weeks after learning of the theft, according the Daily News. 

A series of accidents involving Metro-North trains over the past couple of years have prompted a renewed emphasis on all aspects of rail safety. Earlier this week, United States Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) proposed an overhaul of rail safety to help avoid future problems.

Click here to read the full story in the Daily News.


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