Auditors in the New York City Comptroller's Office found unsafe conditions at four stations operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in Queens and The Bronx, according to two audits on Metro-North and Long Island railroad stations, issued by New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. These conditions included uneven, cracked, and crumbling cement, paint peeling, damaged staircases, and loose metal plates. Many of these same conditions were found in an audit performed last year and have not been remedied. In addition, regarding the Metro-North report, auditors found that station conditions were worse and the quality of repair work was inferior at City stations when compared with those in Westchester County.

"The MTA was paid close to $67 million last year for station maintenance, and to discover that some of the same unsafe conditions I identified last year were still present is extremely troubling," Comptroller Thompson said. "It is also disturbing to find the difference in maintenance standards between stations in the City and stations in Westchester. New York City residents are entitled to the same level of service Metro-North provides to Westchester County residents."

Although numerous examples of inferior repair work were found at the City's Tremont, Wakefield and Fordham stations, Metro-North diligently has maintained its Harlem Line stations in Westchester County. Inspections of 26 stations in Westchester County revealed that 25 are properly maintained, with no hazardous conditions evident. Only one station was found to have minor problems.

In responding to the current audits, the MTA stated that it concurs with the recommendations and has addressed the issue raised by the audit. The organization, however, disagreed with the characterization that some stations are maintained better than others. Yet, pictures in the audit clearly show glaring discrepancies between Westchester and City stations.

Here are some of the reports' findings:

METRO-NORTH

The audit of Metro-North's 14 stations found three stations - Tremont, Wakefield and Fordham had unsafe conditions. This was an improvement over last year's audit where five had unsafe conditions. However, Tremont, Wakefield, and Fordham were on last year's list as well.

· Tremont: Rusted and rotting staircase, peeling paint, loose platform edges, exposed rusty nail.

· Fordham: Exposed electrical third rail, rotting platform edges, peeling paint, leaking water on platform.

· Wakefield: Cracked and crumbling cement, peeling paint, exposed third rails, cracked staircases.

LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD

The auditors' inspections of LIRR's 26 City Stations revealed that one station - Murray Hill - had unsafe conditions and was in overall poor condition. This finding was an improvement over last year's audit which revealed three unsafe stations, yet Murray Hill was on last year's list as well.

· Murray Hill: Cracked and crumbling concrete on platforms, chipped staircases, loose platform edges, rusted pipes, cracked retaining wall.

"This year's audit shows a small, but not a significant improvement over last year's findings," Comptroller Thompson said. "In order to provide passengers with safe and effective service, the MTA must ensure that the railroads immediately correct all of the problems identified by my auditors."

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