NEW YORK (AP) - New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday called for a private operator to take over New York's troubled Penn Station, the nation's busiest rail station, where recent derailments and other problems have hampered commuters.
In a letter to Amtrak CEO Wick Moorman, the governors said "the situation at Penn Station has gone from bad to worse to intolerable" and "drastic action must be taken to immediately remedy the situation."
Cuomo, a Democrat, and Christie, a Republican, said long-term changes in management must go hand in hand with "intense and immediate repairs." They also want the right to approve any private contractor selected by Amtrak, which owns and operates Penn Station.
Two derailments in the last several weeks, a power failure, signal problems and other issues at Penn Station have pushed Amtrak to begin replacing aging tracks and other equipment at the station, a critical part of Northeast Corridor travel.
An April 3 derailment, blamed on weakened wooden cross-ties beneath a portion of track, knocked out eight of the station's 21 tracks for four days and created widespread delays for commuters and travelers up and down the Northeast Corridor.
Amtrak's replacement of tracks and other equipment, much of which dates to the 1970s, initially was scheduled to be completed over a two- or three-year period, mainly during off hours. But the recent problems prompted Amtrak to speed up that timetable.
A Cuomo administration official said Thursday the private operator would be under the oversight of the three railroads that use the station: New Jersey Transit, the Long Island Rail Road and Amtrak.
Amtrak officials did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment.
However, at a hearing of the state Assembly's Standing Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions on Thursday, an Amtrak official proposed hiring a private developer to operate the station's concourse as a separate entity managed by the three railroads.
"To get a big change there, which is what everyone desires, you've got to bring these entities together and create a common platform for us to work in a more collaborative way," Amtrak Vice President Stephen Gardner said.