Metro-North line restores some rail service

Bus service continues to Ramsey/Route 17 Tuxedo — Metro-North railroad says part of a line that suffered “catastrophic” damage from Tropical Storm Irene is back in service. The railroad said service was restored Monday between Port Jervis and Harriman. The railroad will use that portion of the line not severely damaged by the storm from Port Jervis to Harriman, where buses will take customers to the NJTRANSIT station at Ramsey/Route 17. There train service, including some newly added semi-express trains will be provided to Secaucus, Penn Station and Hoboken. “This is the first of many steps Metro-North is taking to restore full train service. We believe it is an improvement over the bus plan in place for the past few weeks,” said Metro-North President Howard Permut at a press conference along the tracks in the Tuxedo area last week. “Train service offers the most consistently reliable travel times when compared to bus service, which can be delayed by road conditions and traffic. This plan provides the best level of service possible under the present situation and will be in effect for the next few months as the 14 miles between Harriman and Suffern is repaired, railroad officials said. Repairs underway To determine the extent of damage, a team of engineers has been assessing damage to track, signal system and bridges. The bridges have undergone underwater inspections, which are almost complete, the railroad said. At the same time, other Metro-North employees are rebuilding the line so that train service can resume as soon as possible. Capital Construction managers are assessing damage, designing repairs and writing specifications. The Procurement Department is trying to locate vendors with enough rock to fill the washouts. The Track Department is repairing the places where the damage is less severe in order to expedite the work and reduce the work of the contractor eventually hired. Further, MTA Real Estate is negotiating with landowners so that men, machines and material can get access to the railroad right-of-way at multiple locations to speed repair work. For more information A special schedule will be published on the website and posted at all stations. A printed scheduled also will be made available. For complete service details visit www.mta.info/mnr.