Community Corner

Full Metro-North New Haven Line Service to Resume Wednesday

Limited service between Bridgeport and South Norwalk stations began Tuesday afternoon.

Update, May 21, 1:08 p.m. 

The following is an update from the Connecticut Department of Transportation: 

Limited Metro-North Railroad and Amtrak train service will resume this afternoon between New York and New Haven, followed by regular service on Wednesday, MTA Metro-North Railroad, the Connecticut Department of Transportation and Amtrak announced.       

With one of the two damaged tracks rebuilt and returned to service, beginning with the 3:07 p.m. departure from Grand Central Terminal, Metro-North will operate about half of the regular eastbound PM peak service and regular hourly westbound service with the 4:23 PM train from New Haven.       

Metro-North will continue to operate on a regular schedule between Grand Central and South Norwalk in both directions. On Friday, May 17, a Metro-North train derailed in Bridgeport and was struck by another train going in the opposite direction.       

“This is a significant step toward the resumption of full service, and quite remarkable given that the derailment occurred barely 96 hours ago,” said Connecticut DOT Commissioner James P. Redeker.

“Metro-North and Amtrak are important components in keeping the regional economy moving forward and I want to commend Metro-North for its round-the-clock efforts toward getting service back on line.”       

The operation will require a reduced speed of 30 miles per hour, standard for all new track installations. 

Trains will only be able to use a single track for a distance of seven miles in the area around Bridgeport, CT. Metro-North expects there will be delays as a result.       
Metro-North will reinstate regular weekday service to-from New Haven on Wednesday morning.       

The track has been rebuilt from the ground up to current Federal Railroad Administration standards using all new materials. 

After the track was rebuilt, it underwent rigorous testing. The track was subjected to a stabilizer machine, which simulates heavy rail traffic using vibrations. This machine compacts the stone ballast and stabilizes the new track. All signal testing was conducted by Metro-North forces and observed by the FRA and the National Transportation Safety Board. 

Metro-North is actively supporting the NTSB, which is conducting a thorough investigation of the derailment and subsequent collision Friday night in Bridgeport.       

The new track also was subjected to ultrasonic testing designed to detect internal defects in the running rail with no exceptions. In addition, the track geometry car was utilized over the new track to verify that the track is in the proper vertical and horizontal alignment.       

The speed of the rebuilding effort was the result of the extraordinary efforts of hundreds of skilled people in multiple crafts working around the clock since Saturday night.

Service Plan
      

Limited train service resumes to New Haven at 3 PM on Tuesday, May 21, and for the remainder of the day.  Customers should expect delays.

To New Haven
      

Regular train service from Grand Central Terminal (GCT) to South Norwalk station; with limited service to New Haven Station (representing 50 percent of regular service):

  • The first train is the 3:07 p.m. train leaving GCT and arriving in New Haven at 5 p.m. To Grand Central Terminal Regular train service from New Haven Station to Grand Central Terminal 
  • The first train is the 4:23 p.m. train leaving New Haven and arriving in GCT at 6:17 p.m. 
Regular train service continues on the branch lines. For train information on which trains will run through to New Haven and which will terminate at South Norwalk, please refer to the schedules page at mta.info.


Original Story, May 20


Full service is expected to resume on the Metro-North New Haven Line in time for peak morning travel Wednesday, less than a week after Friday's train derailment and collision on the Fairfield/Bridgeport line.  

Amtrak service will also resume full service Wednesday morning, Department of Transportation Commissioner James Redeker said.  

"This is tremendously good news," Gov. Dannel Malloy said in a press briefing Monday.  

He credited the "extraordinary work of Metro-North, federal officials clearing [the tracks], and our own state DOT."  

About 100 workers have been working around-the-clock since Saturday to cleanup and repair the accident site, which measures about 2,000 feet of damaged track, according to a statement released by Metro-North.  

“We are confident that the reconstruction work, inspection and testing will be completed in time for a normal rush hour on Wednesday,” Metro-North President Howard Permut said.  

“We are grateful for the tireless work of all departments and employees engaged in this huge task.”  

Malloy warned of one more day of potentially difficult commuting, but said Monday's rush hours went smoother than anticipated.  

"I'm very appreciative of the public for listening to us," he said.  

Metro-North ridership on the affected portion of the New Haven Line was down 81 percent, Malloy said. Backup on the Merritt Parkway was less than during rush hour on a usual Monday, and congestion on I-95 up slightly, though it could have been attributed to morning fog, according to Malloy.  

The bus service put in place on Monday will continue Tuesday, according to Redeker.  

Seven victims of Friday's accident remain hospitalized, Malloy added, and one is in critical condition.  

"Our thoughts are obviously with the injured and their families, and we wish them a speedy recovery."


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