Massive Power Failure Hits NYC

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As of 10:15 AM, Metro North has once again suspended service. This is due to signal problems from the loss of power.

There apparently is a shuttle train that is still running between New Haven and Stamford Conneticut only.
 
As of 10:45 AM, the LIRR is now reporting extremely limited service on the Babylon branch east of Jamaica only. There is some bus service between Jamaica and Penn, but it is very limited. In fact I understand that it is not bring people into NYC, the buses are only bring people home from NYC to Long Island.

I'm not sure if the LIRR is providing limited service on the Main Line.
 
Are any of the ALB-NYP trains going into Penn Station? I checked the train status of numerous trains this morning, and it showed that some Empire Service trains had left Albany this morning, some not. The last reports of the trains were listed in Rhinecliff when they were already due in New York, so maybe they are turning them there or something?

Also the Lake Shore made it up from NYP last night, though it departed ALB 4 hours 10 minutes late and is currently over 7 hours late in Ohio.

They should be able to get the eastbound train in this afternoon.

As for my check on the Northeast Corridor train status. There were NO Acela Expresses shown as running at all, one early morning Metroliner was running, about an half an hour or so late. And the Carolinian was shown as running around 3 hours late. That was it for trains that they had status for, probably the only ones running. Curriously, 151 a PHL-WAS train only was also shown with no status, so maybe they cancelled that one too.
 
P40Power said:
Are any of the ALB-NYP trains going into Penn Station? I checked the train status of numerous trains this morning, and it showed that some Empire Service trains had left Albany this morning, some not. The last reports of the trains were listed in Rhinecliff when they were already due in New York, so maybe they are turning them there or something?
Also the Lake Shore made it up from NYP last night, though it departed ALB 4 hours 10 minutes late and is currently over 7 hours late in Ohio.

They should be able to get the eastbound train in this afternoon.
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I've just heard one report saying that Amtrak has restored service on the Empire Corridor, but that as yet is not confirmed.

I haven’t heard what Amtrak was doing yesterday on the Empire Corridor, but I suspect that they just weren't running any trains. The power wasn't just out here in the city; it was out throughout most of NY State. Therefore all operations on CSX and NS were largely shut down due to a lack of signals.

So I doubt very much that Amtrak even bothered to try and run Empire trains without signals and no access to Penn.

That same loss of power on NS & CSX is also with out a doubt what has delayed the Lake Shore.
 
Well most likely Amtrak just ran the trains that were already en route on the line such as the Lake Shore, but didnt have any other new trains come on to the territory. They probably terminated the Maple Leaf and Andirondack at Albany yesterday (cant check to make sure though because tickets.amtrak.com is down for maintence). This whole thing will probably screw train time keeping up for at least the next couple of days, especially on the CSX and NS which are prone to get very backed up if something like this happens.
 
As of Noon, the LIRR is now reporting that they have hourly service on the Long Beach, Babylon, Ronkonkoma, and the Huntington branches. Service is being provided every two hours to Port Jefferson.

This service only runs east of Jamaica. There is still no service west of Jamaica.

With the exception of the Port Jefferson branch which has to be diesel, as that section of the branch has no third rail, all other service is being provided with electic powered trains.

They are still providing limited bus service from Penn to Jamaica and it is only for people heading in the east bound direction. The buses are not carrying passenger into Manhattan.
 
As of 1:00 PM, Metro North is once again reporting limited north bound service out of Grand Central on all three lines. No passengers are being carried southbound into GCT. This service is only intended to get people home.
 
Due to the power outage that affected the Northeast yesterday afternoon, Amtrak service between New York and Boston has been suspended for the remainder of the day. Amtrak will operate on a modified schedule today between New York Penn Station and Washington D.C., and service between New York Penn Station and Albany will operate on a reduced schedule.
Amtrak customers are encouraged to delay travel plans to New York Penn Station until power is fully restored.

Amtrak will continue to monitor the situation and adjust schedules accordingly. Customers are urged to call 1-800-USA-RAIL for more information.
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After checking with the on-line status system, it appears that all Acela Express trains are not running today. A few Metroliner's have run, along with some of the Regional trains. So far today at least it appears that all Long Distance trains due to depart today, have indeed done so. Some did depart late, but at least they are running.
 
I've seen a few Acelas running today.

A northbound just passed my office about 15 minutes ago.

They could be test runs however.
 
The 5:00 PM update from NYC:

Metro North continues to offer very limited service from GCT and is still not transporting passengers into GCT.

The LIRR continues to run hourly service east from Jamaica only on the lines that I listed above.

There is still no official word on a timetable for restoring the Subways, however I can tell you that I'm hearing Control restoring power to more and more lines. This however is simply to get the trains powered up and to start testing equipment. Some trains are being moved into yards in an effort to clear the lines so that they can be inspected and the signals can be tested.

But again there is no official word that the MTA has started the clock running for service resumption. They originally said that it would take six to eight hours before normal service could resume. I do have to wonder however, if certain lines might start running sooner than others since some lines have had power for several hours now. Others like the L, J, & Z are just having power restored now.

There certainly will be no rush hour service tonight and I'd say that it's unlikely that any trains will roll in revenue service before 9:00 pm tonight. That's just my guess based upon what I'm hearing. I wouldn't be surprised however, if the MTA just decides to call today a wash and wait until Midnight before trying to start running revenue train service.

As of 5:25, Con Edison (the power company for NYC) is reporting that 80% of the city now has power back.
 
I remember hearing 92 over the scanner late last night, I would hope/expect that at least some LD's did run last night. I don't get why Amtrak could have a few diesels go to NY from Boston, after all it is what Metro-North did earlier. Amfleet Fan, it could be the Meteor as its the only train I know of currently using 3 Viewliners.
 
As of 6 PM Con-Edison has provided electrical service to Grand Central Terminal.This will enable Metro-North to provide limited train service for the rest of Friday evening.

Customers should be advised that they may have to wait up to two hours for a train.

We appreciate your patience during this region-wide power outage.
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From the MTA's website, which is now back on-line.
 
The MTA Long Island Rail Road is currently operating local train service between Penn Station and Jamaica Station and has restored train service between Penn Station and Port Washington.  Hourly train service is being provided east of Jamaica Station on the Babylon, Ronkonkoma, Huntington, Long Beach, Far Rockaway and Hempstead branches and on the Montauk Branch as far as Patchogue.  There is train service every two hours on the Port Jefferson Branch.
The LIRR is providing hourly bus service on the West Hempstead branch east of Valley Stream, and on the Oyster Bay Branch east of Mineola.

Bellerose customers must use the Floral Park or Queens Village stations.
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Again from the MTA's website.
 
Viewliner said:
I don't get why Amtrak could have a few diesels go to NY from Boston, after all it is what Metro-North did earlier.  
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Because diesels aren't allowed into Penn, ever. Plus it's not just the lack of overhead power to the catenary. There were no signals working anywhere.

Even Metro North had it's own problems trying to use the diesels. That's also why they were only running one train per hour, as it was the only way to ensure safety. All trains are working the way they used to 50 to 60 years ago, they are being issued track warrents to move. So adding Amtrak to that mix was just too much trouble. Especially since Amtrak doesn't have that many spare P42's lying around in Sunnyside yard. In fact they typically have none.
 
This all goes to show everyone (who cares to listen) just how disruptive and incovenient things are when the trains are not running, whether the trains be Amtrak, commuter, subway, or other, whether the trains don't run because of power outages or because of lack of money or political support. It all has the same effect. This goes to show just how important trains are, still!
 
steve_relei said:
This all goes to show everyone (who cares to listen) just how disruptive and incovenient things are when the trains are not running, whether the trains be Amtrak, commuter, subway, or other, whether the trains don't run because of power outages or because of lack of money or political support. It all has the same effect. This goes to show just how important trains are, still!
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Ain't that the truth. Especially when you strand that many people. NJT stranded at least 60 to 70 thousand people. Metro North had at least 100,000 stranded in the city, while the LIRR probably had something between 250,000 to 300,000 stranded customers in NYC.

That doesn't include passengers on trains when they lost power. There is no way to quantify how many people where stranded by the subways, however I did hear the number of 350,000 people being evacuated from the subways.

That's an awful lot of people who were depending on a train to get them home last night. So I remain a firm believer in trains and would hate to see what would happen to my city, if all trains were to suddenly disappear forever.
 
It's also true here in the Northwest where we are about to lose our Cascade train runs between Portland and Eugene. I proposed that they keep at least one roundtrip going especially the morning train (the one that arrives PDX at 8:20 am) and the late-afternoon train to Eugene (it departs at 5:30 pm). Those two runs compete head to head with commute traffic and the times when they are needed most. Imagine taking those people (an average of 95) off the train and putting them into buses or their own cars during rush hour. They would be added to the problem. I-5 is already overcrowded. The Coast Starlight and other trains provide important services. It is very disruptive and inconvenient when those trains are cancelled, or when buses have to be used instead. It's something for all of us to think about.

And don't forget those people on the trains--the engineers, conductors,etc.--who live in Oregon and other local communities and pay taxes, raise families, pay mortgages, etc. Amtrak pays hotels to house employees during layovers. People spend money on hotels, restaurants, gifts, etc. when they travel. This is another part of the economic equation. Keep everybody at home, and they won't be spending this money.
 
Due to lingering power problems, there is no NYC Transit Subway service at this time system-wide. All scheduled weekend construction work has been canceled.
NYC Transit Bus service is running on every route with particular emphasis placed on 63 priority routes in each borough serving major corridors. In addition, NYC Transit is operating two shuttles between Jamaica, Queens and Penn Station. Those shuttles are Sutphin Boulevard/Jamaica Station to Penn Station and Parsons-Archer to Penn Station.
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Here's the subway update from the MTA.
 
Amtrak Railfan said:
Is MTA Metro North Railroad and Amtrak will be runing this Weekend?
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Amtrak is currently running trains from Penn station south to DC. I have no information about when northbound service might resume.

As for Metro North, just go back to page #2 of this topic and read my posts.
 
While they are not yet carrying passengers, as of 8:20 PM all trains on the #7 line are now running and proceeding on signals. While I believe that this is part of the testing that is necessary, I have to believe that this is a good sign even if they are not yet picking up passengers. Also trains appear to be starting to move on the J line.

I also feel that I should make a personal comment here about the MTA and their employees. Last night many of the supervisors spent hours walking the tracks, be it elevated or tunnel, checking stranded trains for passengers. This in the extreme heat that that enveloped this area at the time.

Additionally a crew all through the night and during the day, manned every stranded train. While the MTA did use buses to change the crews and provide some relief for the workers, nonetheless the men and women of the MTA stood by their trains during this entire episode. My heart goes out to each and every one of those workers, as it was hot enough in my own apartment. I can't imagine having to spend the night in a hot, dark, empty subway train. It would be even worse if your train happened to be in a tunnel.

So I personally take my hat off to each and every one of those dedicated workers who stood by their trains. They all deserve a big round of applause and a heartfelt thank you from each and every New Yorker.

And now I'll get down off my soapbox. :)
 
Thank you very much to the New York City Transit workers to helping out on the Subway Tracks when the power was off and helping the people taking out of the Subway cars and I want to say something Good job New York City Transit Workers. :D :D :)
 
I also want to express my appreciation to the brave workers throughout the NY Metro Area, so thank you for all of your bravery.
 
AlanB said:
Thankfully I had just reached home, less than 10 minutes before this hit. I had been out riding the rails this morning, will Bill Haithcoat who's in town.
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Just as a more personal update, as I noted yesterday I had been out riding the LIRR and a couple of subway's with Bill Haithcoat yesterday. Thankfully Bill was safely back in his hotel, The Hotel Pennsylvania (right across from Penn Station), when the blackout hit and as I noted, I had just reached home.

Well I heard from Bill earlier today and he is doing as well as can be expected. Thankfully his hotel has windows that still open, so he was able to get some air into his room. Many NY hotels don't have windows that open, so if you've been watching the news you may have seen some of those people sleeping on the streets with their sheets and pillows from their room.

Bill sadly has no water in the hotel and he must walk up and down 13 flights of stairs to get food or anything else.

It does however look like Bill will be able to leave as planned tomorrow on the Crescent. Today's Crescent left NYP 40 minutes late, so trains are getting out of Penn.
 
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