The room was equipped with a wall-mounted TV attached to a streaming device, a futon couch, a refrigerator, an air mattress and a microwave, according to a report released Thursday by Metropolitan Transportation Authority inspector Caroline Pokorni.
“Many New Yorkers have imagined kicking cold beer at the core of Manhattan real estate – especially close to good transportation,” Pokarni said in a statement online. “But some will have the clout to command a secret compartment beneath the Grand Central Terminal and build their own human-cave, sustained by MTA resources, and maintain it at the expense of our riders.”
Inspector General’s (OIG) Office Fees Received:
– Half-consumed beer in the refrigerator and empty cans in the trash
– Clear plastic bag filled with sheets and comforters
– Cabinets in a Lux Cosmet Shop storage area that hid the cradle
The MTA said there was a large amount of evidence that three Metro-North railroad employees: a wireman, a carpenter foreman and an electrical foreman often used unauthorized brake rooms. It is not clear if the employees were using the room when they were on the clock.
The MTA report said the three individuals were suspended without pay until their disciplinary hearing.
The room reported last year anonymously
The MTA inspector general’s office fee said it received an anonymous complaint about the room in February 2019. It is described in the complaint that the same three special employees “would hang out and get drunk and party.” Second, a similar complaint was lodged in late June 2019.
It is not clear when the unauthorized brake room was first built and how long it has been in use.
The complaints were handed over to the Metro-North Railroad Safety Department for investigation, according to the MTA report, but the MTA Inspector General’s Office found during its investigation that the complaints were never looked into further.
“The behavior described in the IG’s report is aggressively inappropriate and inconsistent with Metro-North’s values and our commitment to provide a safe, reliable and cost-effective service to our customers,” said Catherine Reynaldi, president of Metro-North Railways.
The Grand Central Station management told investigators they did not even know the room existed, let alone a locked storage room, the report said. Officials said the wiring of the TV and streaming device created a possible fire situation and that the MNR fire brigade considered it an unoccupied room, for which no one appeared to be too dangerous.
“It creates a variety of hazards associated with personnel hiding by the door in the room, including the inability of rescue personnel to enter the room quickly.”
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