Video grab. Www.youtube.com/jb10009 Trainman on Metro North drives train as he reads the Post. (
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SIDETRACKED: Metro-North engineer John Cooper reads The Post as his train pulls into Grand Central. (
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The Post is so riveting, a Metro-North engineer couldn’t take his eyes off it — even while driving a packed rush-hour train headed to Grand Central.
An irate passenger took a two-minute video of engineer John Cooper perusing the paper Wednesday — and the MTA veteran was promptly suspended without pay.
Cooper, at the helm of a Harlem Line train barreling toward Grand Central just after 8:30 a.m., was barely paying attention to the controls, the video shows.
“The guy driving the train is reading a newspaper, not even looking up,” said passenger John Bingham, who posted the video on YouTube. “It’s a safety issue and a concern.”
Engineers must watch the tracks to make sure they aren’t blocked by debris — or people.
The MTA yesterday reinstructed all rail employees that “this behavior is unacceptable,” said agency spokeswoman Marjorie Anders.
“Reading anything, texting or using cellphones while operating a train is obviously not acceptable,” Anders said.
The MTA did not identify the engineer, but sources said it was Cooper, who public records show earned $103,976 in 2010.
Cooper, who joined the railroad in 1988 and has been driving a train since 2001, has also been caught on video texting, the MTA said.
“There is no comment,” said a woman at his Yonkers home. “This is not even worth reporting.”
But Cooper’s colleagues found the video gripping. Many stood watching it on iPads and smartphones between driving trains.
Cooper was described as a hard worker who typically follows the rules.
“He’s always reading the rulebook,” said one engineer. “It’s unfortunate. I guess it was bad timing.”
Passengers weren’t happy.
“That is scary, absolutely!” said Fabio Cruz, an IT worker from Yonkers who rides the train every day. “That is a very dangerous thing to be doing with all of the people riding this train. If he’s not paying attention, anything could happen.”
All Metro-North trains are equipped with automatic controls that are supposed to bring them to a stop if an engineer blows through a signal.