Was Long Island Rail Road / MTA New York City Transit — asbestos documented in litigation?

Long Island Rail Road / MTA New York City Transit — is documented in public asbestos litigation records as a manufacturer whose products contained asbestos during the mid-twentieth century. Workers in industrial facilities, power plants, refineries, shipyards, and commercial construction who handled or worked near these products may have experienced occupational exposure.

Which trades had the most exposure?

Pipe coverers and insulators, pipefitters, boilermakers, millwrights, and maintenance workers are among the trades most frequently documented in asbestos exposure claims. Workers who cut, fitted, or removed asbestos-containing products — and those working in close proximity during that work — typically had the highest fiber concentrations.

How long do workers have to file an asbestos claim?

Statutes of limitations for asbestos personal injury claims vary by state, typically ranging from one to five years from the date of an asbestos-related diagnosis. The clock generally starts at diagnosis, not exposure — mesothelioma can have a latency period of 20 to 50 years. An asbestos attorney can identify the deadlines that apply to your specific situation.

Can workers file claims related to Long Island Rail Road / MTA New York City Transit — asbestos exposure?

Yes. Workers diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, or asbestosis after exposure to Long Island Rail Road / MTA New York City Transit — products may pursue claims through civil litigation. An experienced asbestos attorney can assess available defendants, applicable trust funds from co-defendants, and the states where claims can be filed most effectively.

Can family members file secondary exposure claims?

Spouses, children, and household members who developed asbestos-related disease through contact with contaminated work clothing brought home by an exposed worker may be eligible for secondary (household) exposure claims. Wrongful-death claims can also be filed by surviving family members of workers who died from asbestos-related disease.

Brake-Friction

LIRR / MTA NYC Transit / Metro-North / NJT Rail Yards, Locomotive Shops, Subway-Car Shops, Substations

⚖ Litigation Record1834-present (LIRR + predecessors; asbestos era through 1980s)Asbestos brake-shoe dust; asbestos locomotive and subway-car insulation; asbestos pipe covering; shop-facility asbestos; asbestos substation electrical insulation

Overview Product Facts Trades

Litigation Record: Information below reflects allegations in publicly filed asbestos litigation — plaintiff allegations, not findings of fact.

Premises Description

The New York City metropolitan area commuter rail and transit network — including the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), the Metropolitan Transportation Authority New York City Transit subway system, Metro-North Railroad, and New Jersey Transit rail — is the largest concentrated U.S. passenger rail and transit workforce area. Through the asbestos era all four transit operators (and their predecessors including the New York Central, New York New Haven & Hartford, Erie-Lackawanna, Pennsylvania Railroad, Central Railroad of New Jersey) operated major shop facilities and rolling-stock fleets in the NYC region:

LIRR (founded 1834) — Morris Park Shops (Queens NY), Hillside Facility, Richmond Hill Yard
MTA NYC Transit / NYCTA — 207th Street Overhaul Shop (Manhattan), Coney Island Overhaul Shop (Brooklyn), East 180th Street Yard (Bronx), Jamaica Yard (Queens) — servicing the world’s largest subway fleet through the asbestos era
Metro-North Railroad (post-1983 successor to Penn Central commuter operations) — Harmon Shop (Croton-Harmon NY), Highbridge Yard (Bronx NY), New Haven Yard (New Haven CT) — inherited from New York Central and NH heritage
NJ Transit rail (post-1983 successor to Penn Central / CNJ / Erie-Lackawanna commuter operations) — Meadows Maintenance Complex (Kearny NJ), Hoboken Terminal, Morrisville PA

Through the asbestos era all four operators used asbestos-insulated rolling stock (subway cars, commuter cars, locomotives), asbestos brake shoes on car and locomotive brake rigging, and operated shop facilities with asbestos pipe covering, block insulation, and structural fireproofing. NYC Transit subway system substations and third-rail electrical distribution equipment specified asbestos electrical insulation throughout the documented era.

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) for the interstate railroads (LIRR, Metro-North, NJT rail) and under state-law premises theories for MTA NYC Transit that these transit operators exposed the railroad and transit workforce to asbestos through brake-shoe dust, car and locomotive insulation, shop-facility asbestos, and substation electrical insulation.

LIRR / MTA NYC Transit / Metro-North / NJ Transit have been named as Premises Defendants in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation.

Workers Exposed

Railroad workers at LIRR, Metro-North, NJT rail (car repairmen, engineers, conductors, mechanics)
Subway motormen, conductors, and train operators on MTA NYC Transit
Railroad and subway shop machinists at Morris Park, Coney Island, 207th Street, Harmon, Meadows
Track and substation workers on NYC subway and commuter-rail electrical systems
TWU / SMART / IAM / IBEW / other transit union members

If You Worked for LIRR, MTA NYC Transit, Metro-North, or NJ Transit Rail

If you worked for the Long Island Rail Road, MTA New York City Transit, Metro-North Railroad, or New Jersey Transit rail operations (or their predecessors) during the asbestos era — and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, or another asbestos-related illness — you may have legal rights.

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956

Product Facts

Trade NameLIRR / MTA NYC Transit / Metro-North / NJT Rail Yards, Locomotive Shops, Subway-Car Shops, Substations

Years Produced1834-present (LIRR + predecessors; asbestos era through 1980s)

Asbestos ContentAsbestos brake-shoe dust; asbestos locomotive and subway-car insulation; asbestos pipe covering; shop-facility asbestos; asbestos substation electrical insulation

CategoryBrake-Friction Electrical Gaskets

Trust FundNo active trust

Exposed Trades & Occupations

Railroad workersSubway motormenRailroad shop machinistsCar repairmenTransit workers

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Were You Exposed to an Asbestos-Containing Product?

If you have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease and were exposed to asbestos-containing products, you and your family may be entitled to significant compensation through asbestos trust funds and civil litigation. An attorney experienced in product liability and asbestos claims can evaluate your case — at no cost to you.

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Asbestos Product Liability & Mesothelioma Claims

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