Senator Charles Schumer wants apnea screenings on LIRR, not just Metro-North

MINEOLA -- Sen. Charles Schumer is demanding that both of New York's big commuter railroads - not just the one that suffered a fatal derailment - test their engineers for sleep apnea, the disorder blamed for the 2013 accident.

The senator says the Metropolitan Transportation Authority should quickly expand its screening program to the Long Island Rail Road.

The derailment, on the MTA's Metro-North Railroad, killed four people in the Bronx. An investigation determined it was caused by the engineer's sleepiness and his undiagnosed sleep apnea.

The MTA chose a contractor last month to screen Metro-North's 410 engineers for the disorder and said the LIRR helped develop the program.

The MTA says Metro-North, LIRR and New York City Transit "are working together to develop the most effective sleep apnea program."