City Comptroller William Thompson Jr.’s office recent audit of Metro North and LIRR train stations found that four of forty MTA stations in NYC had unsafe conditions, including leaking water, crumbling platforms, and third rail exposure. All four stations were on the Comptroller’s unsafe list last year, though the total number of unsafe stations has fallen by half, from eight to four. The Comptroller’s audit said that Metro-North’s Westchester stations were in far better condition than those in NYC.

Thompson tagged three Metro-North stations (Tremont, Wakefield and Fordham) and one LIRR station (Murray Hill). Last year, five Metro North stations and four LIRR stations made the list.

Infrequent service and, in a few cases, bad station conditions keep many residents from using LIRR and Metro-North service within the city. The MTA is reportedly still considering the idea of a "city ticket" that would allow use of the railroad inside NYC for the price of a subway fare. Along with fixing up the worst stations, the city ticket would be a big step toward city-friendly railroads. 

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