The message at the railroad’s station in Stamford, Conn., on Thursday morning had a sadly familiar ring:
“We are experiencing technical difficulties. We appreciate your patience, as we work to correct this issue.”
The disruption began on Wednesday after a Consolidated Edison feeder cable in Mount Vernon, N.Y., failed, disrupting service on the New Haven line between Stamford and Grand Central Terminal.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy of Connecticut, who has warned that delays could go on for weeks, announced on Thursday morning that routine roadway maintenance would be suspended on major roadways, including Interstate 95, to help alleviate congestion.
“Needless to say, I am frustrated at this situation and continue to press the folks at Con Ed and Metro-North to fix it as quickly as possible,” Mr. Malloy said in statement. “But until the problems are alleviated, we need to take whatever steps we can to help mitigate congestion on roadways. Our state transportation crews have halted all routine road work in the area and are working to ensure that the expected increase in traffic moves safely and efficiently.”
On weekdays, the New Haven line records an average of about 130,000 passenger trips.
Many people seemed to heed the advice of public officials to work from home or commute from other stations. The parking garage at the Stamford station on Thursday morning was noticeably uncrowded.
For those who still were relying on the train, exasperation was the feeling of the day.
“The upsetting part is this is not the first thing this year,” said John Terzis, an employee in the finance business who was waiting for the express train. “They’re finally replacing 40-year-old train cars, and it’s obvious that five years of stimulus spending and money printing has not been put where it should have been.”
Shortly before 9 a.m., about 100 commuters were milling around the station hoping to catch one of the diesel trains that are helping to fill in while the power is out.
Ticketsellers, with little information to give, took the brunt of people’s anger.
As the crowds grew more restless, a Metro-North official in an orange vest standing among the crowd that said a diesel train would be running express to Manhattan at 9:10 a.m., followed by a local to Rye, N.Y., two minutes later.
Years of neglect have taken their toll on the tracks, Mr. Terzis said, “which you know if you ride the trains because of the way they rock — it’s not like the Eurostar to Paris.”
Another commuter, Saurin Shah, said that even when trains were running on time, he left early, but on Thursday he said that he was thinking it best to go a little later to avoid the crush.
“We don’t have much of a choice,” he said.
He said it would be helpful if public officials addressed the fact that people who are being advised to commute from other stations need a place to park once they get there.
“I didn’t know if I should drive to White Plains,” as officials advised, he said, since he did not know if there would be a place for his car.
Rachelle Tenace, a saleswoman from West Palm Beach, carrying suitcases full of European textiles, was grateful to see that the long-awaited express train was empty when it pulled up.
“I don’t know how people do it every day,” she said. She was returning from a business visit to Westport and hoping she would be on time for an 11:30 appointment in Manhattan.
As the train made its way into the city, Tanya English shuddered at the prospect of the problems lasting weeks but said she would make do.
“They’re saying this is going to last two weeks,” she said. “It’s not a tragedy. It’s an inconvenience.”
Metro-North has cobbled together a network of buses and diesel trains, but the service will be slow, infrequent, fragmented and very crowded. And it can accommodate only a third of the line’s regular riders.
For those on the roads, the lack of train service was also causing delays. Traffic reporters circling overhead in helicopters reported delays on all the major roads and highways into the city.
Metro-North passengers have endured several major disruptions so far this year. In May, a crash and derailment on the New Haven line near Fairfield, Conn., injured scores of passengers and caused delays for days. Then during the summer, a freight train derailed on the tracks used by the railroad’s Hudson line, once again causing substantial delays.
The latest case is also affecting service on Amtrak, which shares the tracks with Metro-North, with delays throughout the Northeast and a suspension of Acela Express trains between New York and Boston.
Yahoo Local News – New York Times
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