Photo credit: Ashleigh Smith
Metro-North riders on Monday were shocked to find personal letters of apology from a conductor who had mistakenly advised commuters to take a canceled train.
Michael Shaw, 48, handed out 500 copies of the missive to riders, apologizing for what he said was a miscommunication that left many people late for work on Friday’s morning route from New Haven to Grand Central.
Shaw’s usual 6:52 a.m. express train was changed to a local, the conductor explained, so he advised riders at four Connecticut stations to wait on the platform for an express train that, unbeknownst to him, had been canceled.
“When I heard that news I was shocked & furious, and I still am,” he wrote. “I made a huge mistake in telling you, MY/OUR passengers to ‘trust me and wait for the express train behind us’ not knowing Metro North had canceled it.”
Commuter Ashleigh Smith posted a picture of the letter on her Twitter account, mentioning Shaw by his handle on the site.
“Some people on #MetroNorth still care,” she wrote. “@Shawdogs65 left commuters an AWESOME letter this AM #thelittlethings.”
Shaw’s gesture may have gone over well with his passengers, but Metro-North released a statement mildly rebuking his rogue tactics.
“Conductor Mike Shaw is one of the many Metro-North Railroad employees who care deeply about our customers, and his open letter expresses the same frustration that customers and employees alike feel about the railroad’s recent challenges,” spokeswoman Marjorie Anders said. “While we share his concerns, we do not condone his methods of communicating them.”
Follow Emily Johnson on Twitter @emilyjreports
