Metro North Makes Lower Harlem Line Improvements

Yesterday afternoon, the MTA Metro-North announced its plans to make improvements on the Lower Harlem Line on July 22 & 23. Here are the details:

MTA Metro-North Railroad today announced that to ensure the on-going reliability and safety of the Harlem and New Haven Lines, crews will perform critical work on the Bronx Drainage project, installing a series of drain pipes, inlets and connections to city sewers.

The drainage facilities are installed both beneath and outside the tracks between Melrose and Tremont, which requires removing one of the tracks from service for this crucial work.

As a result of this infrastructure improvement work, northbound trains will not be able to stop at the Melrose platform between 6 a.m., Saturday, July 22, and 5 a.m., Monday, July 24.  During this time, Metro-North will provide substitute buses from Melrose to Tremont, where passengers may board northbound trains to their Bronx, Westchester and Dutchess destinations. Buses will depart Melrose approximately 15 minutes earlier than scheduled trains. Regularly scheduled northbound train service will resume at Melrose at 5 a.m. on Monday, July 24.

To Melrose, Saturday, July 22 – Sunday, July 23

Customers traveling from Grand Central Terminal and Harlem-125th Street to Melrose will take the train to Tremont and then switch to a southbound train back to Melrose. The connecting train to Melrose will board on the “Inbound to Grand Central Terminal” platform at Tremont, requiring passengers to walk from the “Outbound to White Plains/Wassaic” platform, up to the street and to the staircase leading to the “Inbound to Grand Central Terminal” platform.

*Note: Passengers on the trains scheduled to arrive at Tremont at 11:58 p.m. and 1:37 a.m. will transfer to a bus for the return to Melrose.

Service details are below:

http://web.mta.info/mnr/pdf/MelroseBusing071117.pdf

From Melrose, Saturday, July 22 – Sunday, July 23

Customers traveling from Melrose station to Westchester, Bronx or Dutchess stations will take a bus to the Tremont station for continuing northbound service.  The buses will operate approximately 15 minutes earlier than scheduled trains.

*Note: southbound service at the Melrose station will be unaffected by this service change. Customers may continue to board their southbound train on the inbound platform to Grand Central Terminal.

Service details are below:

http://web.mta.info/mnr/pdf/MelroseBusing071117.pdf 

Make sure to check out the MTA’s website for any potential last minute changes.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Metro North Makes Upper Harlem Line Improvements

Yesterday afternoon, the MTA Metro-North Railroad announced its plans to make Upper Harlem Line improvements between July 20 & 23. Here are the details:

MTA Metro-North Railroad today announced that to ensure the on-going reliability and safety of the Harlem Line, Metro-North crews will perform critical work on the Upper Harlem Line from Thursday, July 20 to Sunday, July 23.

Metro-North crews will make extensive improvements to the Line, including renewing the River Road grade crossing in Pawling, replacing the crossing surface, rails and ties. Crews will also remove and rebuild masonry at a culvert north of the Appalachian Trail station; this work will improve drainage in the area to reduce the risk of flooding. Elsewhere along the tracks, crews will cut brush and weld rail joints.

To accommodate this track work, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 20, buses will substitute for select trains in each direction between Southeast and Wassaic on the Harlem Line.  Buses will operate 15 – 30 minutes earlier than scheduled trains.  After 10 p.m. on Friday, July 21, buses will replace trains at all stations between Wassaic and Southeast. Normal train service will resume with the first scheduled trains of Monday, July 24.

Service details are below:

Southbound: Thursday, July 20

From 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., buses will substitute for four trains that normally depart from Wassaic at 10:28 a.m., 12:28 p.m., 2:18 p.m., and 4:18 p.m. to Southeast, making all scheduled stops at the following stations: Tenmile River, Dover Plains, Harlem Valley-Wingdale, Pawling and Patterson. Bus service will operate 15 – 30 minutes earlier than normally scheduled train times. Buses will connect with regularly scheduled trains at Southeast for continuing service to Grand Central Terminal.

For a bus and train schedule, customers should visit:

http://web.mta.info/mnr/pdf/Wassaic_7_20_21.pdf

Northbound: Thursday, July 20:

For the four trains to Wassaic that depart Grand Central Terminal at 7:53 a.m., 9:45 a.m., 11:47 a.m., and 1:47 p.m., buses will substitute for trains from Southeast to Wassaic, making all scheduled stops at the following stations: Patterson, Pawling, Harlem Valley-Wingdale, Dover Plains, Tenmile River and Wassaic. Customers should allow up to 30 minutes in additional travel time, depending on the destination station.

For a bus and train schedule, customers should visit:

http://web.mta.info/mnr/pdf/Wassaic_7_20_21.pdf

Southbound: Friday, July 21, Saturday, July 22 and Sunday, July 23

Starting with the usual 11:28 p.m. departure from Wassaic on Friday, July 21, and for all departures on Saturday and Sunday, July 22-23, buses will replace trains from Wassaic to Southeast, making stops at the following stations: Tenmile River, Dover Plains, Harlem Valley-Wingdale, Pawling and Patterson. Bus service will operate 15 – 30 minutes earlier than normally scheduled train times.

For a bus and train schedule, customers should visit:

http://web.mta.info/mnr/pdf/Wassaic_7_20_21.pdf

http://web.mta.info/mnr/pdf/Wassaic_7_22_23.pdf

Northbound:  Friday, July 21, Saturday, July 22 and Sunday, July 23

Starting with the 8:52 p.m. departure from Grand Central on Friday, July 21 and for all departures on Saturday and Sunday, July 22-23, trains from Grand Central to Southeast will connect with bus service at Southeast. Buses will make each train’s stops at: Patterson, Pawling, Harlem Valley-Wingdale, Dover Plains, Tenmile River and Wassaic. Customers should allow up to 30 minutes in additional travel time, depending on the destination station.

For a bus and train schedule, customers should visit:

http://web.mta.info/mnr/pdf/Wassaic_7_20_21.pdf

http://web.mta.info/mnr/pdf/Wassaic_7_22_23.pdf

Make sure to check out their website for any last minute changes.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Track Fire Causes Chaos

The start of a new work week was not routine for thousands of NYC Subway riders during the morning rush on Monday. A track fire in the tunnels between 145th & 135th Street caused chaos & massive delays for riders on the A train, B train, C train & D train as service was forced to be suspended. Things were just as bad as thousands flocked to the 1 train which caused chaos as well. Here is more via a Daily News report:

Thirty feet of train track trash caused the latest city subway disaster: a smoky blaze that trapped hundreds of panicked commuters on airless trains, kept thousands more stuffed in sweltering stations and forced the MTA to admit it must clean up its mess.

A pile of “extensive debris” in a tunnel along the subway tracks between 145th and 135th Sts. in Harlem caused the Monday morning chaos, sources told the Daily News.

Sparks ignited the fire that created the “smoke condition” a B train operator reported as he moved south at 7:18 a.m.

Moments later, NYC Transit’s rail control ordered trains between 145th and 135 Sts. to turn off their air conditioning — which would suck the smoke into cars — and the A, B, C and D lines in Harlem ground to a halt.

By the time service was restored at 9:34 a.m., nine straphangers were at local hospitals suffering minor injuries — and MTA Chairman & CEO Joe Lhota found himself trying to pacify frustrated commuters. Again.

Click here for the complete report.

I spoke to numerous people throughout the day who shared their horrible commuting experiences having to deal with the chaos resulting from the track fire. As one would expect, all of them pointed the blame at the MTA for a lack of upkeep.

However I pointed out that the finger should not solely be pointed at the agency if at all. While they could do more to deal with upkeep, the one fact remains constant & that is if passengers did not throw their trash on the track, we would not be having track fires caused by debris.

In reality this fire is just a microcosm of a transit infrastructure that is slowly falling apart before our very eyes.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions 07-11-17

I have just updated the Service Diversions for the rest of the week.

Make sure to follow @TransitBlogger on Twitter as I am using it more often. Also if you are into indie music make sure to follow @IndMusicReview & @SurgeFM!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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A Train Derailment Service Update #3

Here is the latest service update:

Due to a train derailment at 125 St the following service changes are in effect:

A Subway trains are running local in Brooklyn and Manhattan between Canal St and 168 St in both directions.

Some northbound A Subway trains are running express from Canal St to 59 St-Columbus Circle.

There is free shuttle bus service operating between 59 St-Columbus Circle and 145 St in both directions.

B Subway trains are running on the Q Subway line from Brighton Beach and 96 St in both directions.

C Subway train service is suspended between Euclid Av and 168 St in both directions.

D Subway trains are running local in Manhattan between 59 St-Columbus Circle and 145 St in both directions.

B Subway and M Subway train service has resumed with extensive delays.

Expect delays in A SubwayB SubwayC SubwayD SubwayE SubwayF Subway and M Subway train service.

Allow additional travel time.

 

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