NJ TRANSIT: 44 Engineers Have Tested Positive For Sleep Apnea Since Last Year
NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Since the deadly NJ TRANSIT crash in Hoboken last year, 44 of the transit agency's engineers have tested positive for sleep apnea.
As WCBS 880's Alex Silverman reported Wednesday, NJ TRANSIT has been doing sleep apnea testing for more than a decade, but after the Hoboken crash in September of last year, the policies got tougher.
The railroad's Nancy Snyder said all the engineers – 373 of them – were screened in the past year.
That might sound like a lot, but it is roughly consistent with estimates for chronic sleep disorders across the general population.
NJ TRANSIT spokeswoman Nancy Snyder said almost all the engineers who tested positive got treatment – and are back on the job now.
"It's only two engineers remain out of service," she said.
A woman standing on a platform was killed and about 110 passengers and crew were injured when a NJ TRANSIT train going more than double the 10 mph speed limit slammed into Hoboken Terminal in September 2016.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration scrapped a plan to mandate sleep apnea testing nationwide. NJ TRANSIT and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority have continued and beefed up their programs despite that.