POUGHKEEPSIE – Representatives from Metro-North Railroad, including President Cathy Rinaldi, set up an information booth on Tuesday morning at the Poughkeepsie train station.
The outreach is part of the TRACKS program which stands for “Together Railroads And Communities Keeping Safe.”
The first such exhibit of the new year was in Larchmont last month.
The program gives riders an opportunity to meet with railroad staff and learn about a variety of topics including Gap Safety, At-Grade Crossing Safety, Pedestrian Safety, and Suicide Prevention.
Foot traffic going past the booth set up at the station was light due the 7 a.m. start time. The majority of passengers who use the Poughkeepsie train station are well on the way to their commuter destination by that time, with most leaving between 5 and 6 in the morning.
Roger Grissom, a homeless man who is frequently seen in Poughkeepsie and Beacon uses the train to get back and forth between the two cities. Grissom was telling all of the railroad officials who would listen to his complaints. “They got too many homeless people running around in here – some of us, like me, are coming here to get some sleep,” he said.
Grissom also lodged complaints that the MTA Police are kicking homeless people out of the station for pan-handling. “They need to keep the station unlocked at night and turn the heat on,” Grissom complained.
