Hurricane Sandy

Let's all give MN/MTA a big "Well Done!!!" for getting so much service restored so fast!!!!

The way Metro-North and all the MNRR employees handled this just proves why they are the best commuter railroad in the world.

WOH news from: https://www.facebook.com/mtamnr?ref=stream

West-of-Hudson Service Update

On the Port Jervis Line, NJ TRANSIT anticipates resuming partial service on Sun., Nov. 4, operating four AM peak and four PM peak trains that will make all local stops to Secaucus. There will be no train service to Hoboken, which was severely damaged by the storm. Visit www.njtransit.com for special schedule information.

Free supplemental bus service will commence W
ednesday (Nov. 7), to provide service in the mid-day and other off-peak periods. Buses will go from the Middletown Station to the Beacon Station and from Harriman to Tarrytown Station for Hudson Line service to Grand Central Terminal. Bus service will approximate the level of train service on the Port Jervis Line prior to Hurricane Sandy. Please check back by Tuesday for bus schedule information.

Monthly and weekly tickets will be honored on Hudson Line trains.

Pascack Valley Line Customers: Transport of Rockland will provide additional TAPPAN ZEExpress bus service from the Palisades Center Mall park & ride lot to Tarrytown Station. Monthly and weekly Pascack Valley train tickets will be honored for bus service. See www.rocklandbus.com for schedule information.

Monthly and weekly tickets from Spring Valley, Nanuet and Pearl River stations will be honored on Hudson Line trains from/to Tarrytown Station.

and here: http://www.mta.info/status/3

On the Port Jervis Line, partial service is in effect, with NJ TRANSIT operating four AM peak and four PM peak trains making all local stops to Secaucus. There will be no train service to Hoboken, which was severely damaged by the storm. Visit www.njtransit.com for special schedule information.

Free supplemental bus service will commence Wednesday (Nov. 7), to provide service in the mid-day and other off-peak periods. Buses will go from the Middletown Station to the Beacon Station and from Harriman to Tarrytown Station for Hudson Line service to Grand Central Terminal. Bus service will approximate the level of train service on the Port Jervis Line prior to Hurricane Sandy. Please check back by Tuesday for bus schedule information.

Port Jervis Line monthly and weekly tickets will be honored on Hudson Line trains.

Pascack Valley Line Customers: Train service remains suspended by NJ TRANSIT due to severe damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. Transport of Rockland will provide additional TAPPAN ZEExpress bus service from the Palisades Center Mall park & ride lot to Tarrytown Station. Monthly and weekly Pascack Valley train tickets will be honored for bus service. See www.rocklandbus.com for schedule information.

Pascack Valley Line monthly and weekly tickets from Spring Valley, Nanuet and Pearl River stations will be honored on Hudson Line trains from/to Tarrytown Station.

The Newburgh-Beacon Ferry and the Haverstraw-Ossining Ferry also will return to service Monday morning. The Newburgh-Beacon bus from the park and ride lot at Route 17K, also will be in service.

DutchRailnut wrote:on Danbury from a credible source;
Still major damage on the Danbury branch. Don't know if it will be back for Monday. Decade old catenary poles (I'll explain it another time) fell over and have to be removed by crane. Monday is still a possibility but not a definite.

The cat poles are 87 year old steel H-coumns. The bases, where they're attached to the concrete footings, are badly corroded, so not surprising some got knocked over

Each cat pole use to have 3 brace rods too long since removed due to corrosion the bases are not enough to hold up cat pole.

Rode back into town last evening and seemed to be a normal trip from Milford-GCT. Hats off to MNR employees for getting the mainlines back up to speed so fast.

DutchRailnut wrote:Each cat pole use to have 3 brace rods too long since removed due to corrosion the bases are not enough to hold up cat pole.

Jaap I remember the Danbury catenary really well --- or thought I did! --- and I can't picture those brace rods!!

Tom next time look at top of pole and look near bases of existing poles the ground anchors are mostly still there.

Is MN experiencing above-normal traffic levels north of Cold Spring? Just wondering, because there's not a hotel room to be had in that area for tonight and tomorrow, and maybe the rest of the week for all I didn't bother checking.

The Hudson line from Harmon to Albany due to washouts has turned into a Single track RR with "Passing Sidings" from
a double track RR for an unknown amount of time. Toss in the MSW trains that CSX needs to move pronto
doesn't help.

West of Hudson - 45 trees, no wash outs. The equipment (8 sets) in PO was brought to OV on Sunday and returned to PO on Thur. Ran an extra out of PO to Valley on Friday Morning and returned to PO. SU100 Ran Friday Night to HJ. First service was four trains down and four back on Sunday and Monday only going as far as Secaucus. Today they are going to Hoboken and not stopping at Secaucus.

CSX trains generally run at night and Ive seen them held off of MNRR territory for 2 to 3 days. There are special instructions in the CSX timetable for the hold point north of CP89 on the Hudson sub if the Metz cannot handle the train.

RussNelson wrote:Is MN experiencing above-normal traffic levels north of Cold Spring? Just wondering, because there's not a hotel room to be had in that area for tonight and tomorrow, and maybe the rest of the week for all I didn't bother checking.

Probably not even railroad related.

There are still numerous outages in eastern Dutchess and Putnam counties. It's possible many have migrated to the Fishkill/Poughkeepsie area where hotels/motels are more plentiful.

There are also a number of power company trucks parked at some of the motels last night.

MTASUPT wrote:The equipment (8 sets) in PO was brought to OV on Sunday and returned to PO on Thur.

Are those 8 sets the ones that are basically providing the service on the Main/Port Jervis Line?