Metro-North New Haven Line Crippled

[WhoozOn1st]

"Hours after a predawn power loss shut down service on much of Metro-North Railroad’s New Haven line, transit officials warned on Wednesday afternoon that service could be disrupted for several days, and possibly longer, upending commutes for tens of thousands of travelers."

Limited Service on Metro-North’s New Haven Line - http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/26/nyregion/metro-norths-new-haven-line-suspended-after-power-loss.html?hp

"Con Edison said that “repairs of this nature typically take two to three weeks.” While officials hoped to find alternative power sources that could hasten a return to normal service, officials with the transit authority expressed little optimism that repairs would be immediate.

"The agency predicted that commutes on Thursday morning would involve a piecemeal network of trains and shuttle buses.

"The authority began its hourly diesel-only service around 9 a.m. Stations were stuffed with passengers, some already hours late to work, hoping to board; once they did, there was often crowding in even tighter quarters."

EDIT: Hartford Courant - http://www.courant.com/community/new-haven/hc-new-haven-rail-suspension-0926-20130925,0,1085161.story

"NEW HAVEN — Metro-North's New Haven Line service was suspended Wednesday because of an electrical problem and will likely be disrupted for weeks, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said in a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

"The governor said the repairs could take three or more weeks.

"'Hopefully, this is a worst case scenario,' he said.

 

[WhoozOn1st]

Basically a more detailed update on the earlier Times story, with more emphasis on the possibility that the outage could be relatively long term. While Amtrak is also adversely impacted, surely it's not to the tune of Metro-North's 40,000 commuters for a typical New Haven Line morning rush.

Power Failure Disrupts Metro North’s New Haven Line; May Last Days - http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/26/nyregion/metro-norths-new-haven-line-suspended-after-power-loss.html?hp&_r=0

"Con Edison said it was unsure why its 138,000-volt feeder cable, which supplies electricity to the railroad’s overhead power lines, had failed. Another cable that typically provides power to the New Haven line was out of service for scheduled repairs as part of equipment upgrades, the utility added. That feeder was not expected to be functional until mid-October."

The Harford Courant is even more pessimistic:

Electrical Outage Could Disrupt Metro-North For Weeks - http://www.courant.com/community/new-haven/hc-new-haven-rail-suspension-0926-20130925,0,1085161.story

​

"An electrical problem that forced Metro-North to suspend commuter rail service between Stamford and New York City on Wednesday could take weeks to repair, leaving limited service available to the 125,000 people who use the New Haven Line each day, officials said.

"The line will operate at about one-third capacity, using diesel trains and buses, while repairs are made. Those repairs could take up to three weeks, or longer, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said in a press conference Wednesday afternoon."

The Courant uses Facebook for comments on stories!? Just plain nuts!

 

[MrFSS]

Being discussed HERE.