Railroad boss tells lawmakers things are improving but more needed after accidents, outages

The president of the nation's second-biggest commuter railroad has told Connecticut lawmakers it's making progress toward improving safety and reliability after a series of high-profile accidents and service disruptions.

Metro-North Railroad President Joseph Giulietti (joo-lee-EHT'-ee) appeared Monday before the General Assembly's Transportation Committee. He listed numerous reforms taken or underway to improve the system since he became president in February 2014.

He says a 100-day action plan announced last June has been a template for improvements. For example, Metro-North implemented a system for employees to report safety issues without fear of reprisal.

Metro-North serves Connecticut and New York. Only the Long Island Rail Road is bigger.

Giulietti says there's been gradual improvement in service on Metro-North's New Haven Line. But he says there's "more catch-up work ahead."

Lawmakers praise Giulietti for his efforts but say they still hear complaints.