Service restored on Metro-North's Harlem and Hudson lines after storm's devastating flooding
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- There was good news for Metro-North commuters Wednesday morning who have had to adjust their schedules since Monday morning.
The disruption in service was because the tracks were not safe following the storm on Sunday that caused catastrophic flooding.
Governor Kathy Hochul greeted commuters at Grand Central Station Wednesday morning before holding a news conference about Metro-North's service. She was joined by MTA CEO Janno Lieber.
They applauded the work that went into restoring service to the Hudson and Harlem lines.
However, the governor and MTA officials do acknowledge there needs to be some kind of measure put in place to ensure this does not happen the next time there is heavy rain.
It was quite the welcome for Metro-North commuters getting off at Grand Central from Poughkeepsie, with the governor in attendance.
Things are nearly back to normal for the Hudson and Harlem lines, just two days after the unrelenting rain left the tracks full of debris and trees, and they were flooded.
The storm stranded passengers and suspended train service.
"We had flooding, we had boulders on the tracks," Hochul said. "Complete blockage and stoppage of our tracks."
Over the last two days, crews cleared debris and used more than 500 tons of material to fill in portions under the tracks that had been swept away by the fast moving water.
"This easily could have taken not only days but weeks to restore the full service," she said.
This comes two years after Hurricane Ida left a similar path of destruction.
Because of the landscape and proximity to the Hudson River, the Harlem and Hudson lines are prone to flooding.
MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber says the fix, though not fool proof, is diverting the water.
"What we do after these types of events is we look at water management. Where the water is coming from and what is coming at such a furious rate," Lieber said. "Mother Nature has her own plans, even with great water management plans."
Train users are also recommended to use the MTA app or it just added a text service so you can get real time updates on the train you take.
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