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Discussion relating to the operations of MTA MetroNorth Railroad including west of Hudson operations and discussion of CtDOT sponsored rail operations such as Shore Line East and the Springfield to New Haven Hartford Line

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 #1464938  by Tommy Meehan
 
Apparently they cleared up between Goldens Bridge and Brewster for weekday service, but next weekend they'll be busing again. Here's the announcement on the MTA-Metro-North page:
Metro-North will operate regular weekday service on Monday, March 12 with the potential for delays between Goldens Bridge and Southeast.
For next weekend (March 17 & 18) substitute bus service will be required between Goldens Bridge and Southeast to replace damaged power poles in the area and progress the extensive repair work. After the work plan is finalized, Metro-North will provide details regarding next weekend's service plan. Link
 #1464987  by Backshophoss
 
A LOT of the poles used on the "extension" are WOOD that carry the Power and control lines to Brewster.
Access to the pole line is not easy at some points as parts are on NYC's New Croton Reservoir land/shoreline.
 #1465071  by Tommy Meehan
 
A kind of a timeline was provided by Metro-North on their Twitter page Friday -- @MetroNorth -- as to the suspension of train service between Golden's Bridge and Southeast. Normally I would expect them to operate the rush hour schedule and then suspend, but this time they abruptly announced the suspension at 12:35 PM Friday, several hours in advance of the rush hour. That seems to indicate conditions deteriorated and did so rapidly.

This is the first announcement on Twitter at 12:35 PM:
Harlem Line service suspended between Southeast and Goldens Bridge due to multiple downed utility poles in the vicinity of Brewster obstructing the tracks. Service between Katonah and GCT & between Southeast and Wassaic is still operating. We will update as we get more info.
12:35 PM - 9 Mar 2018 Link
Note the typo and the fact they are announcing the suspension but not busing. Not yet anyway. Next they correct the typo:

Correction: Trains will operate from GCT to Goldens Bridge.
Service between Golden's Bridge remains suspended until further notice.
Trains will operate from Southeast to Wassaic.
12:59 PM - 9 Mar 2018 Link
Another typo actually. "Service between Goldens Bridge remains..." Between Goldens Bridge and where? Sounds like events were moving quickly. Undoubtedly they were. Not until 1:00 PM, twenty-five minutes after announcing train suspension, do they mention busing. And then only that they are "trying to arrange it."
Customers are advised to consider traveling via the Hudson Line and tickets will be cross-honored.
We are working with the MTA Bus Company and other bus companies to arrange for substitute bus service. We will provide further information when it is available.
1:00 PM - 9 Mar 2018 Link
At 2:01 PM they announced, "The 5:17PM and 6:04PM trains from GCT to Wassaic have been canceled due to due to multiple downed power poles." Then at 2:41 PM (two hours after the train suspension was announced at 12:35 PM) they announce that bus service has been set up.
Bus Service is now being provided on the Harlem Line between Southeast and Goldens Bridge until further notice. Train Service is operating between GCT and Goldens Bridge and between Southeast and Wassaic.
2:41 PM - 9 Mar 2018 Link
All in all a pretty good job by Metro-North in what must have been difficult circumstances. If this had been scheduled I would expect them to have set up the bus service first, not afterwards. I do think they did a good job here (and most commuters that 'Tweet' seemed to think so too). Around 12 o'clock they find they have to shut down train service between Goldens Bridge and Southeast. Two hours later buses are running. I'm sure it wasn't easy to pull that off.
 #1465406  by Tommy Meehan
 
Metro-North announced about an hour ago:
Upper Harlem Line Substitute Bus Service for Sunday, March 18
For Sunday, March 18, substitute bus service will be in effect between 6:30 AM and 8 PM between Southeast, Brewster and Goldens Bridge Stations due to ongoing repairs to multiple downed power poles and lines in the area that occurred as a result of the recent nor'easters. Harlem Line train service continues to operate between Grand Central Terminal and Goldens Bridge and between Southeast and Wassaic. Link
This is good news. Originally Metro-North said the bus substitution between Goldens Bridge and Southeast would operate Saturday too. Saturday is St. Patrick's Day, usually a very heavy travel day. There will be some train suspensions late Saturday on the New Canaan Branch. Link Metro-North says:
 #1472141  by Jeff Smith
 
You're going to like the picture that comes along with this article: https://patch.com/new-york/midhudsonval ... ay-morning" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
WASSAIC, NY — Service on the Wassaic branch of the Metro-North Railroad has been suspended Thursday morning due to police activity near Southeast.

The 9:32 a.m. train from Southeast to Wassaic was cancelled.
...
 #1472314  by Jeff Smith
 
Wassaic Cause: southwestdutchess.dailyvoice.com
Body Discovered Near Metro-North Station In Dutchess

Metro-North officials suspended service on the Wassaic Line after a body was discovered near the tracks in Putnam County, according to MTA officials.

The body was found around 9:15 a.m. Thursday near the Dykeman Road railroad crossing in Brewster, said Aaron Donovan, deputy communications director for the MTA.

"MTA Police are investigating as a potential case where the person may have been struck by a train, but it wasn’t immediately clear if that was the case," Donovan said. ...
 #1472353  by DutchRailnut
 
Full speed ahead, damned the torpedoes.....
 #1473062  by Tommy Meehan
 
This is from a news story in the Journal News about Tuesday evening's severe rain and wind storms:
As Tuesday afternoon slipped into Tuesday evening, a storm descended on the Lower Hudson Valley. Just in time to wreck the evening rush. The early spring storm downed trees, knocked out power and pushed Metro-North to suspend service at 5:30 p.m. leaving commuters stuck, wall-to-wall at Grand Central Terminal.

Metro-North was [hard hit], with approximately 160 trees and branches littering the tracks, especially on the upper reaches of the system. In some cases, the railroad used backhoes to clear the tracks. In others, crews used chainsaws to take apart the obstructions. Metro-North says trains will stop if there is anything on the tracks. Link
A Metro-North spokesman said given the sheer volume of obstructions on the tracks it "was impossible" to clear and inspect them without suspending train operations for a while. Some trains started running on the Hudson and New Haven Lines by about 6:30PM but the Harlem Line, with the most problems, was without any service at all for another hour. Back at Grand Central, at the height of the delays entrances into the Terminal were blocked off to prevent dangerous overcrowding. I don't remember that happening before.

Below is a news photo showing the packed Terminal Tuesday evening around 5:45PM. Notice how dark it is outside!

.
 #1474062  by Jeff Smith
 
https://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2018 ... 4May18.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
PORT JERVIS – A sinkhole along the Metro-North Railroad tracks between Otisville and Port Jervis has shut down service between those two stations.

Precision Pipeline, the contractor hired by Millennium Pipeline to install a 36-inch gas pipeline, damaged an eight-inch water drain pipe creating the sinkhole along the track.

MTA officials said while making the repairs on Wednesday, the water flow began to undermine the track and trains were unable to run over it.
...
 #1477791  by hcobin
 
New Haven Line stopped both directions due to signal outage at CP 248, Sasco Creek, Westport, at 5:30 p.m. Possible lightning strike, per RTC.
 #1479301  by nomis
 
From Bridgeport FD today:
Please be advised: At approximately 1:45pm there was an accident involving two work trains that bumped into each other on the railroad tracks between @CityofBptCT train station and the Main Street overpass. Both north and southbound rails are temporarily shut down.
https://twitter.com/bridgeportfire/stat ... 01989?s=21
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