Hurricane Sandy and Amtrak.

[AlanB]

In NYC, the statement from the MTA stated that besides the multiple subway tunnels with flooding, one of the East River tunnels used by LIRR and thus Amtrak had flooding. No concrete info on the state of NYP, Sunnyside yard, the Hudson River tunnels or Metro-North New Haven Line. The winds over much of the NEC region are still at 20-30+ mph speeds, so there could still be trees and branches falling down through tonight.

Metro North has a 40 foot boat parked on the Hudson line. Additionally there is no power from 59th Street in Manhattan to Croton Harmon on the Hudson line and there is no power from 59th St all the way to New Haven on the New Haven line. It would seem that the Harlem line is the only line that still has power over most of its entire length, which isn't exactly surprising since it has the shortest electric powered section, from White Plains south.

No word on the LIRR at all, other than that tunnel bit.

And again, there are work trains out on the #7 line that I can hear tying down signals that are out, etc. trying to get that line restarted. Although it would appear that if they get it running, it would only be in Queens as unless the MTA Chairman got things wrong when he reported that the Steinway tube was flooded, train would be unable to reach Manhattan. They would have to end within site of Manhattan at the foot of the 59th Street/Queensboro Bridge.

Most bridges, save those to the Rockaways have reopened as of Noon. All tunnels, save the Lincoln, remain closed. Sounds like the Midtown will be the first to reopen, and the Holland & Brooklyn Battery could be closed for days.

 

[CHamilton]

http://live.nydailynews.com/Event/Tracking_Hurricane_Sandy_2/54338732

MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota said this morning that Hurricane Sandy created historic damage to the metropolitan region's transportation systems.

...

Flooding, fallen trees and branches, and a lack of power have devastated the entire system, Lhota said.

Several New York Transit Authority subway tunnels from Manhattan to Brooklyn were under water, he said.

In addition, six garages were “disabled” by high water and rail yards at 207th and 148th streets in upper Manhattan were also hit.

Lhota said the trains, subways and buses themselves were not damaged by the storm. But the tracks and lines were.

“The assessment will take more time than we thought.,” he said. One thing found, he said, is that the water level at the South Street station downtown is “literally up to the ceiling.”

Like Cuomo, Lhota said the subway system will have to come back in stages, with riders having to show “flexibility and creativity” by using a mix of trains and buses until everything is back on line.

“If there are parts of the subway system we can get up, we will get them up,” Lhota said. “We will be able to complement that with our bus service as well.”

The Long Island Rail Road evacuated sites at its West Side yard and also had flooding at its East River tunnel that goes to Jamaica, he said.

The Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel and Queens Midtown Tunnel remain closed because of flooding and are being pumped out, he said.

 

[CHamilton]

SOME BUS SERVICE TO RETURN TUESDAY EVENING, NO WORD ON SUBWAYS

BY PETE DONOHUE

Bus service will resume at 5 pm with the MTA operating on a Sunday schedule, Gov. Cuomo said.

He said he hoped regular bus service would resume Wednesday.

Riders can ride for free Tuesday and Wednesday as they are "struggling to get their lives in gear."

Cuomo and MTA Chairman said the authority would try and restore parts of the subway system and complement it with bus service - but said restoring service through now-flooded subway tunnels beneath the East River was a daunting task.

"The damage to the tracks, tunnels under water, is unlike anything the city has seen in decades, if ever," Cuomo said

MTA bridges are opening at noon. The Hugh Carey Tunnel and the Port Authority's Holland Tunnel are flooded and closed.

Officials didn't say when the commuter railroads would be back on line. Metro-North was dealing with power outages - and a 40-foot boat beached across tracks in Ossining.

"Sandy wreaked havoc on our entire transportation system in every single borough in the city and every single county in the MTA region," Lhota said.

Water in one lower Manhattan station was up to the ceiling, Lhota said.

Because the MTA moved subway trains and buses to protected areas no buses or train cars suffered damage, Lhota said.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I personally never lost power here where I am in Queens. A few flickers and UPS batteries protested, but no loss of power. For those who know my mom, she's OK out in PA but lost power around 5:30 PM last night and it remains out.

Good to hear your mom is doing OK. I thought about her yesterday.

 

[AlanB]

Well they are out working on the Subways as I noted earlier, I'm still hearing radio calls from works trains out on the #7 line and tower calls to Times Sqare and 111 Tower. Oddly not getting any radio traffic for other lines, either that or repeaters are down due to the loss of power. I'll also grant that I haven't been steadily listening to the radio either.

They're reporting lots of track circuits on the #7 line, which means that they're having big signal problems, most of which will need to be fixed before they can hope to resume service.

 

[SubwayNut]

Metro-North just released a great set of photos on Flickr. I directly linked to the photos of the boat in Ossining, also used by the Empire Service Trains. There not any photos in the set of the Main Line of the New Haven Line but a good one of the wires totally down on the New Caanon Branch.

I need to also make a correction, the Harlem line is electrified all the way to Southeast in Brewster. It was extended north in the 1980s and is significantly longer than the electrified part of the Hudson Line. Listening to the radio (why no sources) reports about totally washouts in New Jersey on the North Jersey Coast Line (and fallen trees on other lines) but nothing about damage to the Northeast Corridor in Jersey. Amtrak as usual is saying very little except that their 'evaluating service for tomorrow'.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

At least it's a "little" boat unlike that ship that landed on Statan Island.

 

[pennyk]

I have not heard from either Shanghai (who is on Long Island babysitting) or Dave (in Rhode Island). I have sent a text to each of them and have not heard back. My sister in Maryland is fine with minimal damage and did not lose power.

Dave is fine in Rhode Island but has no power. He will be going to his sister's house soon and will be able to "bother" us again. I am looking forward to "seeing" him again on-line.

 

[jis]

Just got 3G service back. Everything else is down with high tension power line poles snapped like twigs in a few places. Many trees down and many houses severely damaged. It would be an understatement to say that in some areas the devastation is quie spectacular. We came out fine. Lost power for good around 8:30pm. I understand that we got gusts at upto 100mph with steady winds at 65-70 mph or so around here. I have run out of UPS batteries, so now it is off to the car to charge the iPhone when neede, since I do want to keep the laptop batteries charged just in case. Good thing we still have gas service and I have very large matchbox fully stocked. At least I can keep myself entertained cooking!

 

[the_traveler]

I'm back from the dead!

Besides a few trees down about 1/2 away that cut power, cable and Internet, no real damage to our property. I live 116 feet above sea level and on a semi-hill. We had little rain, but high winds all day including an 81 MPH gust a few miles away! Last night, my BIL took a ride (stupid I know) and at ocean (south facing and no land in the way until Bermuda or Europe) had I guesstimate 15-20 foot waves. They blocked the roads and I could only get a block away. I've never saw waves here like that!

 

[The Davy Crockett]

I'm back from the dead!

Besides a few trees down about 1/2 away that cut power, cable and Internet, no real damage to our property. I live 116 feet above sea level and on a semi-hill. We had little rain, but high winds all day including an 81 MPH gust a few miles away! Last night, my BIL took a ride (stupid I know) and at ocean (south facing and no land in the way until Bermuda or Europe) had I guesstimate 15-20 foot waves. They blocked the roads and I could only get a block away. I've never saw waves here like that!

Good to hear your safe Dave. How did the Penthouse Suite and its staff and crew make out?

 

[CHamilton]

MARC trains face delays, VRE full service Weds.

CSX estimated that freight rail traffic throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic would be delayed at least 72 hours due to the storm. The CSX shutdown also affects Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) trains on the Brunswick and Camden lines because those trains run on CSX-owned track.

As of Tuesday afternoon, freight trains still were not running on CSX tracks between Richmond and north of Albany, N.Y., said CSX spokesman Robert Sullivan. CSX suspended service at 3 a.m. Monday.

CSX crews are inspecting the rail network in areas affected by the storm, including those in higher altitudes that had significant snow. Crews are removing trees, bringing in generators and reinstalling crossing gates that were taken down before the storm, Sullivan,

The Virginia Railway Express, meanwhile, announced that its will be running full service Wednesday.

 

[The Davy Crockett]

Just got 3G service back. Everything else is down with high tension power line poles snapped like twigs in a few places. Many trees down and many houses severely damaged. It would be an understatement to say that in some areas the devastation is quie spectacular. We came out fine. Lost power for good around 8:30pm. I understand that we got gusts at upto 100mph with steady winds at 65-70 mph or so around here. I have run out of UPS batteries, so now it is off to the car to charge the iPhone when neede, since I do want to keep the laptop batteries charged just in case. Good thing we still have gas service and I have very large matchbox fully stocked. At least I can keep myself entertained cooking!

jis, Good to hear you are doing well under the circumstances. What's for dinner?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Just got 3G service back. Everything else is down with high tension power line poles snapped like twigs in a few places. Many trees down and many houses severely damaged. It would be an understatement to say that in some areas the devastation is quie spectacular. We came out fine. Lost power for good around 8:30pm. I understand that we got gusts at upto 100mph with steady winds at 65-70 mph or so around here. I have run out of UPS batteries, so now it is off to the car to charge the iPhone when neede, since I do want to keep the laptop batteries charged just in case. Good thing we still have gas service and I have very large matchbox fully stocked. At least I can keep myself entertained cooking!

jis, Good to hear you are doing well under the circumstances. What's for dinner?

Doesn't matter. You can't get there (by train, plane and probably by car).

 

[fairviewroad]

Metro-North just released a great set of photos on Flickr. I directly linked to the photos of the boat in Ossining, also used by the Empire Service Trains.

Here's another one from that same set of photos of rail cars with a wee bit of a water issue:

 

[River in Sight]

Just as an FYI, the Silvers will not be operating (at least in the North) on Wednesday. I was booked on 97 and received an e-mail notifying me of the cancellation (I don't think this is reflected on Amtrak's website yet). I was able to call and snag the very last bedroom left on 97 for Thursday, the following day - hopefully Thursday's service will operate. Just wanted to post this for anyone else who might be on the Silvers tomorrow.

 

[the_traveler]

I'm back from the dead!

Besides a few trees down about 1/2 away that cut power, cable and Internet, no real damage to our property. I live 116 feet above sea level and on a semi-hill. We had little rain, but high winds all day including an 81 MPH gust a few miles away! Last night, my BIL took a ride (stupid I know) and at ocean (south facing and no land in the way until Bermuda or Europe) had I guesstimate 15-20 foot waves. They blocked the roads and I could only get a block away. I've never saw waves here like that!

Good to hear your safe Dave. How did the Penthouse Suite and its staff and crew make out?

The Penthouse Suite and staff are safe and sound after riding out the storm in an undisclosed location! h34r:

 

[CHamilton]

Who Should Foot the Bill for Sandy’s Damage to Tracks and Train Tunnels?

...In Philadelphia, SEPTA is slowly bringing back service on subway and bus lines. The regional rail system is down at least until tomorrow, with the majority of the damage apparently from downed trees. Amtrak has also continued its suspension of service on the Northeast Corridor, with repairs pending on the track and signal systems, as well as the removal of trees and other debris.

New Jersey Transit was hit hard, with “major damage on each and every one of New Jersey rail lines,” according to Governor Chris Christie, including washouts along the North Jersey Coast Line and at Kearny Junction, as well as flooding at rail hubs in Secaucus, Hoboken and Newark Penn Station, according to the AP. It could be seven to 10 days before PATH train service is restored.

DC’s metro came back online at 2:00 p.m. today, and there was no major flooding or damage reported to Baltimore’s and Boston’s transit systems.

...

One early estimate pegged the total damage caused by the storm at more than $20 billion, with insured losses at about $7 billion. Infrastructure repairs figure to account for a substantial portion of the costs. With transit agencies and local governments still feeling the fiscal squeeze, who will foot the bill?

Luckily, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate says FEMA is flush with money for the response, including repairs to infrastructure, with a $7.8 billion disaster relief fund. That’s reassuring, after the agency was caught empty-handed in the wake of Hurricane Irene.

Transit has an extra cushion now, too, thanks to a provision in the new transportation bill, MAP-21, that created an emergency relief program for transit, similar to what exists for highways. Funds still need to be appropriated, but the Federal Transit Administration does have the authority to distribute funds to agencies in need.

 

[The Davy Crockett]

Just got 3G service back. Everything else is down with high tension power line poles snapped like twigs in a few places. Many trees down and many houses severely damaged. It would be an understatement to say that in some areas the devastation is quie spectacular. We came out fine. Lost power for good around 8:30pm. I understand that we got gusts at upto 100mph with steady winds at 65-70 mph or so around here. I have run out of UPS batteries, so now it is off to the car to charge the iPhone when neede, since I do want to keep the laptop batteries charged just in case. Good thing we still have gas service and I have very large matchbox fully stocked. At least I can keep myself entertained cooking!

jis, Good to hear you are doing well under the circumstances. What's for dinner?

Doesn't matter. You can't get there (by train, plane and probably by car).

Yeah, there is that. :mellow:

 

[Texan Eagle]

Not Amtrak or train related but an interesting pic nevertheless-

Ladies and gentlemen, your plane ship will soon be arriving at Gate C34 at La Guardia airport!

 

[CHamilton]

Subway station damage video from MTA.


(Sorry, not sure how to embed this in the new version.)

 

[PRR 60]

Not Amtrak or train related but an interesting pic nevertheless-

Ladies and gentlemen, your plane ship will soon be arriving at Gate C34 at La Guardia airport!

Perhaps PanAm Railways is considering reestablishment of Clipper Air Boat service at LGA?

 

[JackieTakestheTrain]

Amtrak.com now showing that LSL is sold out on Thursday -- again not sure if this is really sold out or cancelled....

Might be here until Thanksgiving at this rate.

Dont really want to fly back in the end of the hurricane!!

Just got off the phone with an Amtrak agent who said that the LSL is scheduled to leave on Wednesday evening so..I should be home by Thursday night!

Hopefully!!!

 

[jis]

For dinner tonight is Salmon Jalfrezi with Mango Chutney. I have nothing better to do at present than cook all the raw stuff in the refrigerator before the rise in temp causes them to spoil

(null)

 

[The Davy Crockett]

For dinner tonight is Salmon Jalfrezi with Mango Chutney. I have nothing better to do at present than cook all the raw stuff in the refrigerator before the rise in temp causes them to spoil

(null)

I didn't know what Jalfrezi was, so I looked it up. If my info is correct, it is a curried stir fry. I'm a big curry fan, so I suspect it would be really good! How hot do you make it? (You know how us folks from the States can't always stomach intensely hot foods...)