The MTA has fired nine conductors-in-training who are accused of cheating on a safety exam.
The transit agency says someone allegedly stole the test from an instructor’s bag, used his phone to take pictures of it and sent it to classmates in advance of the exam.
"We have disbanded the training class and referred this matter to the MTA inspector general to investigate what happened," Aaron Donovan, a spokesperson for the transit authority, said.
The test covered the "physical characteristics of a section of the railroad such as signals, curves and speed limits," according to the MTA.
The cheating scandal is one more in a series of difficult issues for the railroad.
Last month, rail service was disrupted by back to back mechanical failures that kept the Walk Bridge in South Norwalk open and prohibited rail travel over it.
The rail service has also dealt with extended power failures that disrupted rail service, derailments and additional problems.
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Investigators said they've worried for years that the MTA's testing isn't as secure as it should be. The MTA says riders should rest assured and know that the cheating happened in a classroom far from the rails.
Riders were upset by the scandal.
"It should be on par with cheating on your EMT exam," said Sarah Gray of New York. "Any exam where it's evaluating your skills to be taking other people's lives in your hands should be taken much more seriously."
"You'd think that they would have the best intentions going into this job of keeping their passengers safe so it is a little cause for concern," said David Volle of New York.
