LIRR, Metro-North resume regular service Monday after Henri
NEW YORK (WABC) -- MTA Long Island Rail Road and MTA Metro-North Railroad announced Sunday afternoon that they anticipate restoring full regular weekday service on Monday morning, August 23, across all parts of the railroads.
Metro-North suspended service on the entire New Haven Line, including the New Canaan, Danbury, and Waterbury Branches on Sunday, and trains were operating every two hours on the Hudson and Harlem lines,
Service was also suspended on the Wassaic Branch of the Harlem Line. There were also no buses on the Waterbury branch.
Elsewhere, there was no LIRR service east of Patchogue on the Montauk Branch or on the Greenport line on Sunday.
Amtrak service was also suspended on Sunday between New York and Boston in both directions.
To assist customers who may have had their travel plans affected by the storm, the LIRR is adding additional service on the Montauk Branch for Monday. The train that normally originates at Southampton at 4:41 a.m. will instead originate at Montauk at 4:00 a.m., with stops at East Hampton at 4:22 a.m. and Bridgehampton at 4:31 a.m. before resuming its normal schedule.
The LIRR will also operate a train that will depart Montauk at 8:07 a.m. and make all local stops to Speonk where it will run as a semi-express, stopping at Patchogue, Sayville, Bay Shore, and Babylon before running express to Jamaica for connecting trains to Penn Station and Atlantic Terminal, Brooklyn.
On the LIRR's Montauk Branch, the first trains to operate east of Patchogue through to Montauk will depart Montauk at 1:00 a.m. and Jamaica at 1:10 a.m. The LIRR's 5:39 a.m. departure from Montauk will operate on its normal schedule, as will the 7:28 a.m. train that runs on Mondays from early June through mid-October.
In all other parts of LIRR and Metro-North systems that had been suspended on Sunday will resume with the first regularly scheduled trains after 4 a.m. on Monday.
On LIRR's Ronkonkoma Branch, the first trains to operate between Ronkonkoma and Greenport will resume with the 5:25 a.m. departure from Greenport and the 7:30 a.m. departure from Ronkonkoma.
On Metro-North, New Haven Line service will resume with the 4:00 a.m. Grand Central-bound train from New Haven Union Station, the 4:58 a.m. Grand Central-bound local from Stamford, and the 5:30 a.m. departure from Grand Central Terminal making all local stops to New Haven.
New Canaan Branch service will resume with the 5:23 a.m. departure from New Canaan and the 6:53 a.m. departure from Stamford. Danbury Branch service will resume with the 5:08 a.m. departure from Danbury and the 9:19 a.m. Danbury-bound departure from South Norwalk. On the Waterbury Branch, where buses are currently substituting for trains because of track work, service will resume with the 5:38 a.m. bus from Waterbury, and the 7:38 a.m. Waterbury-bound bus from Bridgeport.
Harlem Line service between Wassaic and Southeast will resume with the 5:10 a.m. train from Wassaic and the 9:05 a.m. northbound train from Southeast.
The regional train systems took the following precautions ahead of the storm:
Strategic deployment of maintenance personnel including track, signal and power staff.
Strategic deployment of emergency equipment, such as protect engines, throughout the service territory.
Have additional public information officers and public address announcers on duty to keep customers informed with up-to-the-minute service information.
Safety messaging reminding customers to take extra caution when traveling will be made at stations, on trains and platforms, email/text alerts and social media.
Long Island Rail Road is communicating with PSE&G to ensure proper coverage to protect service disruptions due to downed wires.
Depending upon the severity of conditions, service could be reduced or temporarily suspended.
Subways
Stage crews to monitor and respond to flood-prone locations.
Prepare crews on debris trains for supporting clean-up activities.
Inspect 10 track pump locations.
Inspect 30 drains at flood prone locations and ensure they are ready to accept water and not create any unsafe conditions.
Inspect 34 direct sewer connections.
Cover street vents at six key locations.
Prepare, fuel and test equipment for debris clearance, if necessary.
Inspect and stage emergency trucks, pumping equipment, and emergency response equipment.
Continue to monitor weather reports and assess any implications of storm conditions on high tides or storm surge.
A Local Storm Desk will be activated if conditions warrant. All maintenance departments will be staffed sufficiently. Crews will perform frequent signal switch tests to ensure all signals are functioning as intended and activate weather-related precautions as needed. Non-essential repair, maintenance and construction work is being evaluated for possible suspensions if the weather warrants.
Buses
All depots will pay special attention for flash flooding. If flooding occurs, depots will respond and move fleets before water levels get too high.
Flood prone route corridors will also receive extra monitoring.
Ensure bus windows, hatches and doors are closed.
All depot parking areas and perimeters will be inspected for unsafe conditions.
Bus depots will have extra staff to assist in the event a bus is disabled.
All road trucks will be equipped with chainsaws and any other debris equipment needed.
There will be around-the-clock staffing for maintenance, operations and customer service departments.
Bridges and Tunnels
All facilities are fully prepared and staffed for any weather-related incidents.
Electronic weather sensors are functional, and all facilities can monitor weather and roadway conditions.
Areas that have proven to be historically prone to flash flooding have been checked and crews will monitor these areas and respond to conditions throughout.
May implement a ban of tandem trailers and empty tractor trailers based on updated wind forecasts. Motorists should be aware that these and other restrictions may be put in place based on conditions.
Authority-wide equipment and supplies--including facility generators, fuel, anemometers--have been checked and are at adequate levels for response and deployment as needed.
All motorists should avoid unnecessary travel during the storm.
Construction and Development
Project staff continue to work with operating agencies to coordinate preparations and secure project sites.
Inspectors and project staff continue to tour project sites and ensure drainage is working, generators and pumps have been tested and that elevators under construction are raised.
For real-time service updates and information, customers may use the following options:
Check mta.info or the MYmta app for updates, including modified emergency schedules.
Follow @MTA and the MTA's operating agencies on Twitter.
Sign up for text message or email alerts on the MTA website
Additional Henri Coverage
Long Island prepares for Henri
What is storm surge and why is it dangerous?
Emergency Resources for severe weather
Weather or Not with Lee Goldberg's extreme weather survival guide
Share your weather photos and videos, and Eyewitness News may show them on TV or any of our digital and social platforms
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