Metro-North resumes service after Westchester County mudslide
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Metro-North has promised a "near-normal" evening rush hour after crews spent the weekend repairing miles of train tracks in Westchester County.
The weekend rains triggered a mudslide 30 miles north of Midtown in Scarborough, New York, that buried the tracks between Tarrytown and Croton Harmon.
Weekend rail service was shut down in both directions as work crews struggled to remove up to 900 tons of soil and stone.
Since the mudslide was first reported at 9:45 a.m. Saturday, crews successfully cleared 350 cubic yards of soil and debris and 250 cubic yards of rock and cement from two of the four tracks.
Crews worked around the clock for 43 hours to allow service to resume between Tarrytown and Croton-Harmon in time for the work week.
Two of the four tracks were reopened Monday, but the railroad president told the MTA board Monday morning that work at the site is far from complete.
"There's still a lot of work to be done out there, so my expectation is we'll be probably running the current service plan I would expect for the rest of this week, as we continue to work to stabilize the slope above to clear the debris off the remaining two tracks and get the railroad back to normal," said Metro-North President Catherine Rinaldi.
For commuters on the Hudson line, it was deja vu all over again.
Back in July, service had to be suspended after heavy rains flooded the railroad just north of Croton-on-Hudson and washed out the tracks.
"I take the good with the bad, so whatever happens, I'll be patient with it as long as I get home safe which is what counts," said commuter Raymond Morales.
Heavy weather is wreaking havoc on Metro-North-where vast stretches of the railroad were built along the shores of the Hudson River.
Railroad officials admit that shoring up the Hudson Line is a long-term project with a newfound urgency.
"I do think part of the challenge with respect to the Hudson Line, and the railroad generally, is that the risk is not just one risk, right? It's the inundation risk, it's the mudslide risk, it's the storm water risk, you know?" Rinaldi said.
Over the weekend, Amtrak service was also temporarily suspended, but has been mostly restored between Albany (ALB) and New York (NYP) since Saturday's inclement weather.
In place of rail service, temporary shuttle buses were used over the weekend.
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