Community Corner
UPDATE: Full Service on Hudson Line Dec. 5
UDATE: Emergency Commuter Lot in Valhalla Will Close Tonight
Full Hudson Line Service resumes Thursday, Dec. 5, Metro North has announced.
Crews from Metro-North have completed the reconstruction of a second Hudson Line track in the area of Sunday's derailment, allowing resumption of full service Thursday morning.
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The free parking lot at the Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla will be closed tonight as service on the Hudson Line gets back to normal, county officials announced.
Approximately 820 cars have used the lot, but the number leveled off to 20 today. Commuters and customers of Metro-North should resume their regular transportation routines on Thursday.
Find out what's happening in Tarrytown-Sleepy Hollowwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“I thank the county departments of Public Safety and Parks for their quick response to come to the assistance of our commuters,” said Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino in a press release.
____Investigators are expected to finish up today their interview with the engineer of the Metro North train that derailed Sunday, killing four.
The engineer, William Rockefeller, apparently "zoned out" while on the run south, according to news reports. The train was going 82 MPH as it hit the curve at the confluence of the Harlem and Hudson rivers.
In a press conference yesterday, Earl Weener of the National Transportation Safety Board, said it was “premature to be able to say” whether Rockefeller was fully conscious all along.
But as CBSNew York and other media have reported, Rockefeller has described something akin to highway hypnosis, according to the lawyer who accompanied him to the NTSB interview, Jeffrey Chartier.
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Commuters on the Hudson Line returned—almost—to their usual routine while commuters on the Harlem Line stretched out and enjoyed the spaciousness of their usual share of Metro North's 26,000-rider daily load.
"We were seeing a lot of new faces the last two days," said Annie Lange, manager of the Dunkin Donuts at the Chappaqua train station. "But everything is back to normal, just our regular commuters this morning."
Metro North issued this service message:
For Wednesday, December 4, Metro-North will operate more than 98% of regular Hudson Line service due to one track being returned to service following the train derailment in the vicinity of Spuyten Duyvil.
Customers should expect scattered delays of up to 15 minutes due to limited track capacity in this area and crowded conditions during peak periods. Please refer to the Hudson Line timetable or our schedules page for train information.
The following trains will be combined:
-The 7:15 AM from Scarborough to Grand Central Terminal is combined with the 7:16 AM train from Croton-Harmon, which will make all stops of both trains.
-The 7:37 AM from Ossining to Grand Central Terminal is combined with the 7:40 AM train from Croton-Harmon, which will make all stops of both trains.
-The 8:45 AM train from Greystone to Grand Central Terminal is combined with the 8:22 AM train from Croton-Harmon, which will make all stops of both trains.
Metro-North forces continue rebuilding track and restoring the signal and power systems on the remaining two tracks in the area of the derailment. Our goal is to bring back full Hudson Line service as soon and safely as possible. - See more at: http://mta.info/supplemental/mnr/mnr_weather_info.html#sthash.uatZWGn5.dpuf
“The extraordinary work of Metro-North forces has enabled a rapid resumption of service and I commend them,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast in a press announcement Dec. 3. “I also want to thank Governor Cuomo for his continuing leadership during this crisis and all the first responders of the New York Police Department, the New York Fire Department and emergency workers at area hospitals for their quick response and expert assistance in dealing with this tragic incident.”
Metro-North reported that its crews are rebuilding about 800 feet of track were damaged by Sunday’s derailment at Spuyten Duyvil. "The section where the accident occurred has three tracks. The middle track was badly damaged and the outer track, closest to the river, was destroyed. Crews will continue to rebuild the two damaged tracks while service resumes on a single track."
Read more about the derailment on Patch.
Kensico Dam Commuter Lot to Close Wednesday Night
Union Rep: Train Engineer 'Nodded Off'
Arrangements Set for Derailment Victims Jim Lovell, James Ferrari
Derailed: Ossining Survivor, Commuters in the News
Kensico Dam Commuters: Trains are Crowded but Quiet
$42K Raised for Family of Jim Lovell, Local Train Crash Victim
Montrose Resident: Local Train Crash Victim 'Did Everything for his Family'
Ossining's Sunshine Home Remembers Kisook Ahn, Killed in Derailment
Commuters' Group Concerned About Year of Accidents
Gov. Cuomo: 'Any Parties Involved in Derailment Will Be Held Responsible
Bronx Train Derailment Shuts Metro-North Hudson Line
Victims Were From Cold Spring, Montrose, Newburgh, Queens
Can't Bear the Tough Commute? Work Here in Westchester
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