NYC area transit news -- Part 2, related to power outage (MN, LIRR, NYCT) Options

[KevinKorell]

Use this topic for further updates dealing with Metro North, Long Island Railroad, and NYC Transit service following the blackout of 8/14/03.

[KevinKorell]

The report on the subways this morning is that nothing is running. Extra buses have been deployed, and they will be free of charge today.

NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT SUBWAYS: SERVICE SUSPENDED SYSTEM WIDE DUE POWER OUTAGE....EXTRA BUS SERVICE BEING PROVIDED... NYC BUSES ARE FREE TODAY

[KevinKorell]

The LIRR continues to be bustituted as well:

NYC TRANSIT: 5 BUSES WILL RUN FROM PENN STATION TO SUTPHIN & ARCHER AVES ( QUEENS ) THEN THERE WILL BE CONNECTING BUS SERVICE TO NASSAU COUNTY ..

LONG ISLAND RAILROAD: SERVICE SUSPENDED ...LIMITED BUS SERVICE EASTBOUND FROM JAMAICA AS PASSENGERS COME IN...SERVICE WILL NOT BE RESTORED SYSTEM WIDE ON THE TRAINS FOR AT LEAST 8 HOURS ONCE POWER IS RESTORED ENTIRELY IN ORDER TO INSPECT ALL SIGNALS AND EQUIPMENT..

[AlanB]

The 9:30 AM EST update from NYC:

There is still no LIRR service nor subway service in NY.

As of 9:00 AM, Metro North will start providing one train per hour on each line into Grand Central. This will be diesel service only and is intended more to get people who were stranded in NYC last night, back home. They will accept Manhattan bound passengers, but unless your job is in a critical services area you are encouraged not to come into the city.

The MTA is starting to move some subway trains in areas that have power back. The trains are not in service; this is merely an effort to bring trains either into stations or yards in an effort to prepare to restore service once all of the city has power back.

The LIRR is also starting to move trains, but again this is not for revenue service.

[AlanB]

As of 10:15 AM, Metro North has once again suspended service. This is due to signal problems from the loss of power.

There apparently is a shuttle train that is still running between New Haven and Stamford Conneticut only.

[AlanB]

As of 10:45 AM, the LIRR is now reporting extremely limited service on the Babylon branch and the Ronkonkoma branch east of Jamaica only. There is some bus service between Jamaica and Penn, but it is very limited. In fact I understand that it is not bring people into NYC, the buses are only bring people home from NYC to Long Island.

I don't know if this is diesel powered or third rail powered service. At present normal electrical power has been restored to 90% of Long Island homes and businesses, but I don't know if all LIRR substations are working yet.

This post has been edited by AlanB: Aug 15 2003, 10:05 AM

[AlanB]

As of Noon, the LIRR is now reporting that they have hourly service on the Long Beach, Babylon, Ronkonkoma, and the Huntington branches. Service is being provided every two hours to Port Jefferson.

This service only runs east of Jamaica. There is still no service west of Jamaica.

With the exception of the Port Jefferson branch which has to be diesel, as that section of the branch has no third rail, all other service is being provided with electic powered trains.

They are still providing limited bus service from Penn to Jamaica and it is only for people heading in the east bound direction. The buses are not carrying passenger into Manhattan.

[AlanB]

As of 1:00 PM, Metro North is once again reporting limited north bound service out of Grand Central on all three lines. No passengers are being carried southbound into GCT. This service is only intended to get people home.

[AlanB]

The 5:00 PM update from NYC:

Metro North continues to offer very limited service from GCT and is still not transporting passengers into GCT.

The LIRR continues to run hourly service east from Jamaica only on the lines that I listed above.

There is still no official word on a timetable for restoring the Subways, however I can tell you that I'm hearing Control restoring power to more and more lines. This however is simply to get the trains powered up and to start testing equipment. Some trains are being moved into yards in an effort to clear the lines so that they can be inspected and the signals can be tested.

But again there is no official word that the MTA has started the clock running for service resumption. They originally said that it would take six to eight hours before normal service could resume. I do have to wonder however, if certain lines might start running sooner than others since some lines have had power for several hours now. Others like the L, J, & Z are just having power restored now.

There certainly will be no rush hour service tonight and I'd say that it's unlikely that any trains will roll in revenue service before 9:00 pm tonight. That's just my guess based upon what I'm hearing. I wouldn't be surprised however, if the MTA just decides to call today a wash and wait until Midnight before trying to start running revenue train service.

As of 5:25, Con Edison (the power company for NYC) is reporting that 80% of the city now has power back.

[AlanB]

The MTA Long Island Rail Road is currently operating local train service between Penn Station and Jamaica Station and has restored train service between Penn Station and Port Washington.  Hourly train service is being provided east of Jamaica Station on the Babylon, Ronkonkoma, Huntington, Long Beach, Far Rockaway and Hempstead branches and on the Montauk Branch as far as Patchogue.  There is train service every two hours on the Port Jefferson Branch.

The LIRR is providing hourly bus service on the West Hempstead branch east of Valley Stream, and on the Oyster Bay Branch east of Mineola.

The above from the MTA's website, now back on line.