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Metro North Hudson Line Derailment

Posted by
on December 1st, 2013 at 9:26 pm

Metro North Derailment
Aerial view of the derailment near the Spuyten Duyvil Station. Photo courtesy of Mark Bonifacio of the New York Daily News.

A trying year for the MTA Metro-North Railroad has become even worse as a NYC-bound Hudson line train derailed this morning about 100 yards north of the Spuyten Duyvil Station on a large curved section of track.

Reports have been frequent throughout the day. We knew that 4 were confirmed dead & 63 injured. However just a short time ago, the agency released the names of the victims after their families were notified. The victims were:

Donna L. Smith, 54, of Newburgh, N.Y.

James G. Lovell, 58, of Cold Spring, N.Y.

James M. Ferrari, 59, of Montrose, N.Y.

Ahn Kisook, 35, of Queens, N.Y

First & foremost, my heartfelt condolences go out to the friends & families of the victims.

The initial report from motorman William ‘Bill’ Rockefeller Jr. was that he applied the brakes approaching the curve as is normal procedure but they failed him.

Some riders on board including Kathleen Davis said “We were going so fast around that turn, something wasn’t right. All of a sudden everyone went flying. We were dragging on the ground, people were landing on each other. Then there was dirt everywhere.”

The NTSB was quickly on the scene & they along with the MTA will be reviewing the train’s black box for speed records leading up to the derailment.

As one would expect, service through the area will be suspended for sometime. The MTA has released service plan information for the rest of tonight & Monday morning:

Following this morning’s derailment of a Hudson Line train in the Bronx, MTA Metro-North Railroad will continue to provide bus service from the Tarrytown Station to the White Plains Station on the Harlem Line until 2 a.m. Monday.

Beginning at 5 a.m. Monday, MTA Bus will provide a bus shuttle between the Yonkers Station and the 242nd Street terminus of the Broadway #1 local subway, until further notice.

New York City Subways will operate two additional #1 local trains per hour during the peak periods.

Hudson Line will continue to be cross-honored on the subway.

Many of the 26,000 people who use the Hudson Line on an average weekday are encouraged to ride the Harlem Line as an alternative.

People who do not have to travel are urged to telecommute. People should expect crowded trains.

In cooperation with Westchester and Putnam counties and local municipalities, special parking is being arranged to accommodate additional drivers at the Southeast Station at the northern terminus of the Harlem line and at Kensico Dam, which is in walking distance to the Valhalla station. Riders should consult mta.info for additional information on the continuing repair effort and service restoration.

As the days & weeks go by, we will find out more about what led to this horrific tragedy. Make sure to keep checking back as I will be staying on top of this via posts & updates on Twitter.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Metro-North
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Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted by
on November 28th, 2013 at 12:13 am

I would like to take this time to wish all of my readers a Happy Thanksgiving! May you have an awesome time eating a ton of great food!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Site News
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Service Diversions 11-27-13

Posted by
on November 27th, 2013 at 7:52 pm

Get a head start on your Thanksgiving holiday weekend plans as I have just updated the Service Diversions.

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

Have a safe & wonderful weekend!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions
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FASTRACK Comes To The F

Posted by
on November 27th, 2013 at 6:58 pm

NYC Transit’s FASTRACK will be coming to the F Train' next week as the line will be rerouted between Manhattan & Brooklyn. Here are complete details via the press release I received:

MTA New York City Transit brings FASTRACK to the [F] line in lower Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn. [F] trains will be rerouted via the [A] line in both directions between West 4th Street and Jay Street-MetroTech from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. for four consecutive weeknights from Monday, December 2 to early Friday morning, December 6. There will be no [F] train service at Broadway-Lafayette Street, 2nd Avenue, Delancey Street, East Broadway and York Street. Free shuttle buses, [D] and [J] trains provide alternate service.

Travel Alternatives in Manhattan:
Buses operate between Broadway-Lafayette Street and East Broadway, making station stops at 2nd Avenue and Delancey Street. Customers may use the [D] to connect with shuttle buses at Broadway-Lafayette Street. They may also transfer between [D] and [F] trains at West 4th Street. At Fulton Street, transfers are available to the [4] and the [J].

Travel Alternatives in Brooklyn:
Free shuttle buses operate between York Street and Jay Street-MetroTech. Customers may transfer between free shuttle buses and [F] trains at Jay Street-MetroTech. York Street customers may also use the High Street [A] station.

Alternative transportation options will be detailed in announcements and posters on trains, in stations and on selected buses; brochures will be available in both English and Spanish. Information on this FASTRACK is available on the web at http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/fastrack_F.htm.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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NYC Transit Thanksgiving 2013 Service Plan

Posted by
on November 22nd, 2013 at 4:30 pm

Lastly here is the official Thanksgiving 2013 service plan for NYC Transit:

New York City subways and buses will operate on a Sunday schedule on Thanksgiving Day. The closest subway stations to the start of the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade are the 1 at 79th Street and the C at 81st Street. There will be additional service on the 42nd Street Shuttle S as well as increased early morning service on the 1 line. A number of bus routes will be impacted by the parade, and details will be provided at www.mta.info under “Service Status.” On Black Friday, November 29, service will operate on a weekday schedule with some exceptions listed at MTA.info.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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NYC Transit