Connecticut Governor Daniel Malloy has suggested Connecticut residents who work in New York should stay in New York for this week. There are shuttle trains between Grand Central Station and Stamford but parking in Stamford is at best very difficult. Some commuters may be able to get to the Harlem line and use those trains. Highways are expected to be congested with predicted rain adding to the risk of accidents.
JOHN: one reason there may be the announcement that trains will be crowded :
A quick glance at the New Haven schedules may indicate that at the time of the accident there is a net of 19 train sets east of Bridgeport. Unless MNRR can get these trains west of the accident site by an alternate route there will continue to be a seat shortage ! ! !
Amtrak has most of their equippment west of accident site
Maybe someone more familar with these schedules can verify these numbers.
You certainly make a good point, Streak. Since the accident was totally unexpected there was absoulute no way to prepare for it. I’m sure Metro North is scrambling around for a lot of things right now and doing the very best it can to pull things together.
What does occur to me, though, is that the Connecticut Department of Transportation operates commuter service between New Haven and New London. Possibly some of that equipment can help out.
That is a point. Maybe the Shore Line East convential equipment could have been moved to west of Bridgeport but that should have been done this past weekend. The extra M-8s in New Haven could have run New London if they have been tested and approved & crew qualified to run on the Amtrak section at 25Kv AC ?
How ever that may be there should be immediate planning and infrastructure upgrades so if this or maybe another even worse interruption. Suppose for example in the future there is a bridge failure whatever reason. Even the I-35 bridge failure took months to repair. Just a few items that might fail a bridge or ROW are ----- 1. Another “Sandy” 2.boat destroying a (draw or otherwise) bridge. 3. Another derailment ? 4. Flooding 5. Truck demolishing bridge. etc
As well the NH - BOS & NYP - WASH sections needs planning as well.
Metro North - ConnDot rose rose magnificantly to the task. Monday and Tuesday: Near reagular service NY - Stamford, limited service beyond to Westport, every 20 minute shuttle, New Haven - Bridgeport, with regular mu equipment. Normal service on the three branches. Express shuttle buses without crowding Bridgport - Stamford. Local buses Westport - Bridgeport. About 25% of the business showed up east of Stamford Monday morning, plus 90% New Haven ridership overall, indicating many drove to Stamford or points west. Also HarlemDiv got 11% increase.
Metro North is honoring all Amtrak tickets on these services, and Amtrak is running a skelatal service New Haven - Boston and regular service New Haven - Springfield to connect at New Haven.
Wednesday: Regular service to be restored in time for AM rush!