Officials correct emergency number at Rockland rail crossing

NANUET – Officials on Wednesday took action to correct a flawed emergency number posted on signs along the Pascack Valley Line.

The former number was intended to connect to New Jersey Transit Police, but instead of hearing a dispatcher's voice, callers receive an automated message they've dialed a number that can't be accessed from New York. It was only reachable from New Jersey.

After receiving a tip from a Rockland resident, The Journal News contacted NJ Transit and Metro-North Railroad, which pays NJ Transit nearly $23 million a year to run trains on its Pascack Valley and Port Jervis lines.

"(Metro-North) has just become aware that the 800 numbers posted on the signs along its West of Hudson Pascack Valley Line only connect callers calling from a N.J. area code," MTA spokeswoman Meredith Daniels said earlier this week. "We are working with the safety and operations departments at NJT to correct this situation."

NJ Transit, which also was unaware of the issue earlier this week, said it has now placed weather-proof stickers on existing signs with a new number to NJ Transit Police. That number is 844-220-4674. Permanent signs will replace the stickers, NJ Transit spokeswoman Jennifer Nelson said.

The 33-mile Pascack Valley Line runs between Spring Valley and Hoboken. It has about a dozen at-grade crossings in Rockland.

People are encouraged to call the number on the signs at grade crossings to report an unsafe situation, such as warning signals that are malfunctioning, gates stuck in the down position or a vehicle stalled on the track, Daniels said.

Since February's deadly crash in Valhalla involving a Metro-North train and an SUV, sensitivity about the dangers of the grade crossings has grown. There also have been several close calls, a push for camera surveillance and efforts to eliminate some of the crossings.

Chestnut Ridge resident Barry Lane, who alerted The Journal News about the non-accessible number, said he tried calling the number last week to complain to NJ Transit about the "lousy" state of the roadway at the Crooked Hill Road crossing in Pearl River.

When he couldn't get through, he realized there were broader implications: What if there was a real emergency at one of the crossings?

"It's extremely hazardous as far as I'm concerned," Lane said.

Evan Eisenhandler, executive director at Operation Lifesaver New York, a nonprofit that educates the public about railroad safety, agreed the phone number is an essential safety feature, one that is required by the Federal Railroad Administration at all highway-rail grade crossings. The number connects a caller directly to the railroad. A timely call can get word to a train engineer about the problems ahead on the tracks, for example. "There’s a multitude of reasons why those emergency numbers are critical," Eisenhandler said. But on Wednesday afternoon, Metro-North Media Liaison Meredith Daniels issued a statement saying a new number was installed and operational. "Installations of the new 800 number signs are complete and the new 800 number is working," Daniels wrote in an emailed statement. "Metro-North worked closely with NJ Transit IT and their Office of System Safety to resolve the 800 number matter. Their IT department has established a new, nationwide 800 number; it is 844-220-4674. It has been tested/verified. Callers will be directed to NJTPD who will notify their Rail operations center, MTAPD in NY and their signal trouble desk."

Twitter: @ksaeed1