NTSB Stresses Track Safety After Conn. Man's Death The National Transportation Safety Board has issued an urgent safety recommendation after a railroad track foreman was struck and killed by a passenger train last month in Connecticut. The agency Monday urged the Metro-North Railroad to provide backup protection for track maintenance crews that now depend on train dispatchers. Foreman Robert Luden was killed May 28 in West Haven. The NTSB says he had requested a track section be taken out of service for maintenance. It says the section was placed back in service too soon by a student traffic controller who didn't have the required approval. Metro-North says it has received the recommendation and "will implement safety improvements as quickly as possible." A spokeswoman says the railroad has tightened its verbal procedures and is working on a technological backup to improve safety.