Metro-North Railroad Time Sheets Were Falsified, Inquiry Says In a draft letter dated Dec. 3, the inspector general, Barry L. Kluger, wrote that from April to August, every foreman investigated by his office from the agency's structures department "abused his position by engaging in nonwork related activities during business hours" and "involved members of his crew in the abuses" while filing inaccurate time sheets for himself and his crew. The letter detailed the actions of five foremen and three acting foremen for the department, which performs repairs on bridges and buildings. The findings suggest that Metro-North "lacks appropriate internal controls," Mr. Kluger wrote, and "raised serious questions regarding the role of upper management in the utilization and oversight of these crews." Misdeeds included a foreman and his crew driving to Pennsylvania, at least three times, "apparently to buy cigarettes," while claiming to be working; another foreman traveling to Pennsylvania, "apparently for fireworks"; and a crew driving, "apparently aimlessly," for over an hour during a supposed overtime period. In one case, Mr. Kluger wrote, a foreman filed for almost five days" pay for work that took less than five hours to complete, in addition to 10 hours of travel time. The inspector general recommended "appropriate discipline, up to and including termination" for the foremen. The authority said it expected to take disciplinary action once a final report was issued. The investigation is the latest black eye for an agency mired in a nightmarish year. On Dec. 1, four people were killed and more than 70 were injured when a train derailed in the Bronx. Other episodes have included a train collision in May, the on-the-job death of a track foreman less than two weeks later, the derailment of a freight train on the Hudson line in July, and a lengthy service disruption on the New Haven line in September. A separate report from Mr. Kluger in September detailed negligence by machinists and their supervisors. It included tales of work days spent, in large part, at fast-food chains and a hardware store. Adam Lisberg, the authority's chief spokesman, said in response at the time that the agency was installing GPS devices on all its vehicles.