(The following story by Katherine Didriksen and Jonathan Lucas appeared on the Stamford Advocate website on February 11.)
NEW YORK — In a year that included a fare hike, a blizzard and the largest blackout in the country’s history, Metro-North officials are proud of their performance.
“At least there wasn’t pestilence,” said Howard Permut, vice president of planning and development.
However, according to the results of the latest customer satisfaction survey released today, commuters were not as happy. Thirteen percent of the 4,200 riders surveyed in October said the railroad performed worse in 2003 — an increase from 8 percent in 2002.
“When you consider it was a fare-increase year and we were able to hold our own in other categories and we’re up in overall train conditions, it’s indicative of the efforts we’ve made,” said Peter Cannito, president of MTA Metro-North. “I think we’re headed in the right direction.”
Overall, the railroad received a ranking of 6.9 on a 10-point scale, down from a 7.8 ranking in 2002. However, the railroad’s marketing department modified the scale in 2003, reducing the number of categories from four to three. The end result is the new scale uses the terms “not satisfied,” “satisfied,” and “very satisfied.” It eliminates the “dissatisfied” category used in past surveys.
Metro-North officials point out that although the numerical rating slipped by nearly one point, it still ranks at the high end of the “satisfied” category.
“We still have a customer base with a high percentage of customers saying they are satisfied,” Cannito said. “There are areas where we should be doing more, and we’ll use that data to focus on areas to improve it.”
The overall approval rating by New Haven Line passengers was 90 percent, five and six points less than the Harlem and Hudson lines, respectively. Customer satisfaction numbers on the New Haven Line have “traditionally lagged” behind the railroad’s other lines, Cannito said.
New Haven Line commuters were least satisfied with on-time performance and the overall condition on trains, including the cleanliness of bathrooms.
According to Metro-North statistics, trains were less than six minutes late 96.4 percent of the time in 2003. They were on time 96.8 percent of the time in 2002.
Cannito said many New Haven Line customers do not understand Metro-North’s role and its relationship with the state Department of Transportation.
“When it comes to the New Haven side . . . there needs to be some education of what the relationships are,” Cannito said. “A lot of people don’t understand the relationship and their perceptions are reflected in the survey.”
Cannito said Metro-North receives complaints daily about parking shortages, station conditions and snow removal — all things the railroad has no control over in Connecticut.
The state is responsible for acquiring and maintaining rail cars for Metro-North. Rather than purchasing new rail cars, Connecticut is spending about $150 million to rehabilitate the oldest 242 cars of the 342 on the New Haven Line. New York is acquiring new M7 railcars and 180 are expected to be delivered for use on the Harlem and Hudson lines by next month.
Cannito said disparities among the different lines are expected to result in greater spreads in customer satisfaction levels next year.
Jim Cameron, vice chairman of the Metro North-Shoreline East Rail Commuter Council, said educating commuters about who to blame for shortcomings is key.
“Metro-North is not (solely) responsible,” Cameron said, noting that the results of the survey and the current service problems are “byproducts of not having enough equipment.”
Harry Harris, chief of the DOT’s bureau of public transportation, said the need for new rail cars must be addressed by the state Legislature and Congress.
Gov. John Rowland’s proposed budget shifts money out of a special fund for new rail cars, but his budget chief said $49 million to $60 million will be available to order new cars within the next 18 months. Rowland has committed to providing 2,000 new seats, or about 20 cars, for commuters on the New Haven Line.
Past estimates have placed the need for at least 300 new cars within the next 20 years.
Harris said he is concerned changes in Metro-North’s customer satisfaction scale could skew results more favorably and lead to a false sense of security.
“I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, (but) I don’t think we should become too complacent,” he said.