Hurricane Sandy and Amtrak.

[The Davy Crockett]

The Batter Parky

[Typos in original too good to fix.]

Didn't he play for the Brooklyn Dodgers? :huh:

 

[B&Ofan]

I would like to go to New Haven or Boston via amtrak right now, but that is a good point about the power. Doesn't amtrak keep some sets up in BOS, though? So if they really wanted to and the lines had power, could they theoretically run the a NEC set between BOS & NHV?

I think the damage to the shore line may not be that well reported. The tracks are quite close to the ocean and there surely were some washouts. There must also be quite a few tree down as well. In the storm of '38 it took the New Haven 2 weeks to restore shore line service putting all the resources available in it. My guess is there is a big effort in getting service running, but with so many stories, it just isn't being reported.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[jebr]

Only after New Haven station opens. AFAIK right now it is not open.

If you really need to go, drive. That is how we are getting around here in NJ for the time being.

Or use Greyhound or Megabus. They're starting up limited service already (Megabus will start at noon.)

Greyhound Service Alert

Megabus Service Alert

 

[the_traveler]

The Batter Parky

[Typos in original too good to fix.]

Didn't he play for the Brooklyn Dodgers? :huh:

No, you got him confused with his brother, Butter Parky!

 

[Trogdor]

The Batter Parky

[Typos in original too good to fix.]

Didn't he play for the Brooklyn Dodgers? :huh:

No, you got him confused with his brother, Butter Parky!

I thought it was Butter Parkay.

 

[PRR 60]

We were very lucky at our home in South Jersey. Except for a 30 second outage and several flickers and voltage drops, we didn’t lose power. Good thing because we have a typical South Jersey basement, meaning we have a sump pump to keep things dry. My wife and I sat up until after 2am Tuesday morning waiting for what we thought would be the inevitable loss of power. It never happened. Last summer the power company had tree crews up and down our street clearing the lines. That may have saved us. No real damage in our neighborhood, so it’s life as usual. Given the issues not that far north, we feel a bit guilty.

The destruction “down the shore” is horrific. Homes and shops inundated and destroyed. The shore is the vacation spot of my childhood and a common dining out destination today. To see those scenes is heartbreaking. Not everyone who owns property down there is wealthy. Some have owned homes through generations of family. The barrier islands are great when the weather is nice, but in the end they are only low elevation sand dunes, and when the ocean decides to take things over, anything built there doesn’t stand a chance.

The extent of the New York situation is hard to grasp. The city is so dependent on public transportation, and now has to function with almost nothing running. Given the descriptions of the damage, some facilities will be down for weeks. Incredible.

 

[afigg]

My big question about tomorrow's regional service is if Amtrak will be using diesel locomotives to enter Newark? Is the catenary on the NEC in New Jersey damaged? SEPTA has announced full Regional Rail Service for Wednesday so the wires from Trenton to Wilmington must be back on line along with Marc announcing all train service tomorrow.

NJT is fully closed tomorrow (I've read about washouts and damage particularly on the North Jersey Coast and Atlantic City Lines), buses too except for routes in Camden (the city directly across from Philly), no River Line either. Sounds like the NEC is undamaged enough that they could run service from Trenton to Newark. I wonder why there not at least running limited service?

According to reports, Amtrak will be running Acelas WAS-NWK for the Regional service. The Acelas don't need to be turned around, so they can go to Newark and back. If Amtrak is running Acelas to Newark, that means the catenary is operational WAS-NWK. The damage is east of there with the storm surge having flooded many tunnels and subway stations.

The problem with running as far as NWK is that with PATH and NJ Transit out of operation, options to get to NYC will be very limited. There could be a lot of passengers arriving at NWK who could overwhelm the limited transportation resources available. If Amtrak is able to clear the way through NYC and runs trains WAS-NYP, but the subway system & LIRR are still not operating, that could create a problem at NYP if people are not prepared to hoof it a few miles to their destination if they are going to somewhere in Manhattan.

With this much damage, there should be coordination between all the transportation authorities on the sequence they bring the numerous parts of the transit systems back to operation.

 

[afigg]

I think the damage to the shore line may not be that well reported. The tracks are quite close to the ocean and there surely were some washouts. There must also be quite a few tree down as well. In the storm of '38 it took the New Haven 2 weeks to restore shore line service putting all the resources available in it. My guess is there is a big effort in getting service running, but with so many stories, it just isn't being reported.

According to a report from Trains Magazine, there is a washout near Stonington CT that is under repair and generators have been deployed to provide power for the signals, so the Shore Line route is out of operation for the present. Could be a while before NYP-BOS service is restored depending on how damage there was to the New Haven line.

The report also says that one of the Hudson River tunnels and 2 of the East River tunnels were flooded, so they have to be pumped out, cleaned, and the electrical systems repaired.

 

[the_traveler]

Stonington is on the RI border, and that area was VERY hard hit! I'm not surprised if there was a washout there!

 

[CHamilton]

Limited Subway Service to Return Thursday

The subway will begin limited service in New York City on Thursday, supplemented by buses between Manhattan and Brooklyn. There will be no subway service below 34th Street in Manhattan because of a lack of electricity. Three of the subway’s seven East River tunnels have been pumped out.

Limited Commuter Rail Service to Return

Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road will begin limited commuter rail service at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Governor Cuomo has announced.

 

[jebr]

I've been following this transit tracker recently to see the changes, at least in the NYC area.

 

[jis]

Restored service so far

LIRR: Jamaica to Flatbush Terminal

MNRR North White Plains to Grand Central Terminal

Amtrak Newark Penn Station to Washington DC

NJT Still suspended until further notice

From what I understand service restoration to Penn Station is still a couple of days away.

 

[AlanB]

NJT will restore partial service to the River Line is about 10 minutes. It will run from Walter Rand north to Trenton only, no service south to the Entertainment Center.

 

[Trogdor]

Looks like BOS-NHV will be restored, at least partially, tonight.

 

[AlanB]

Here's a list of the subways/subway sections expected to start operating tomorrow in PDF form.

 

[AlanB]

And here's an interesting Subway map put out by WNYC.org showing what service is expected to operate tomorrow.

 

[B&Ofan]

I see Amtrak is running 448/449 from Boston to Chicago. I'm wondering if they will just run the full train to Boston, Just the 448/449 cars to Chicago or still split the train with th 48/49 cars terminating in Albany? If I wasn't busy tonight I'd go down to South Station and see for myself.

 

[The Davy Crockett]

Stopped by ALX to see #95, which was running about 1/2 hour late. While there a CSX frieght rolled through southbound. A sharp contrast to yesterday, when the station was locked up and empty, with all three tracks rusty and quiet.

 

[River in Sight]

Just got an update from Amtrak via phone that the Empire Service will not be running tomorrow. There had been no decision made (at least per the agent that I spoke with) about what will happen with the long-distance trains.

 

[CHamilton]

AMTRAK SERVICE RESTORATION PLAN FOR NOVEMBER 1

by Amtrak on Wednesday, October 31, 2012 at 1:27pm ·

Modified Northeast Regional service between Boston and New Haven, Conn.; and between Newark, N.J., and points south; more overnight train service restoration; New York City service planning underway for Friday, Nov. 2

Amtrak will provide modified Northeast Regional service between Boston and New Haven, Conn., and between Newark, N.J., and points south, on Thursday, November 1. Amtrak will also operate Shuttle service trains between Springfield, Mass., and New Haven, Keystone Service trains between Harrisburg, Penn., and Philadelphia, and Downeaster service trains between Boston and Portland, Maine, along with additional overnight services to and from the Northeast.

Amtrak is continuing to remove water from tunnels in order to make repairs to track, signal and power systems under the Hudson and East rivers and to restore service to and from Penn Station in New York City. Amtrak is planning to operate modified service to and from New York City on Friday, November 2, with schedules to be announced on Thursday, November 1.

In the meantime, there will be no Northeast Regional service between Newark and New Haven and no Acela Express service for the length of the Northeast Corridor on Thursday, November 1.

Other service plans, full and partial service, for Thursday, November1:

• Crescent (Trains 19 & 20) will operate only between Washington D.C. and New Orleans
  
• Capitol Limited (Train 30), will operate normally Chicago-Washington, D.C.
  
• Pennsylvanian (Trains 42 & 43), will operate only between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia
  
• Cardinal (Train 50) will operate only between Chicago and Indianapolis
  
• Auto Train (Trains 52 & 53), will operate normally Lorton, Va.-Sanford, Fla.
  
• Maple Leaf (Trains 63 & 64) will operate only between Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and Albany-Rensselaer
  
• Carolinian (Trains 79 & 80) will operate only between Philadelphia and Charlotte
  
• Silver Star (Trains 91 & 92) will only operate between Miami and Jacksonville, Fla.
  
• Silver Meteor (Trains 97 & 98) will operate between Washington D.C. and Miami
  
• Lake Shore Limited (Trains 448 & 449) will operate normally between Chicago and Boston, with no (Trains 48 & 49) service to points south of Albany-Rensselaer
  

Canceled on Thursday, November 1, is the Empire Service between New York City and Buffalo/Niagara Falls, the Adirondack (Trains 68 & 69) to and from Montreal, Québec, Canada, and the Ethan Allen Express (Trains 290 & 291) to and from Rutland, Vt., due to track damage south of Albany-Rensselaer, N.Y.

The following services are also canceled for Thursday, November 1:

• Capitol Limited (Train 29), Washington-Chicago
  
• Vermonter (Trains 55 & 56), St. Albans, Vt.-Washington, D.C.
  
• Palmetto (Trains 89 & 90), New York-Savannah, including connecting Amtrak Thruway Bus Service
  

Customers are encouraged to monitor Amtrak.com/alerts and those Northeast Corridor passengers on Acela Express, Northeast Regional or Keystone Service trains can follow @AmtrakNEC on Twitter to be notified when updates are posted on Amtrak.com. Amtrak will also be providing updates on its Facebook.com/Amtrak and Twitter.com/Amtrak pages.

Amtrak will update this statement by Thursday evening, November 1.

Passengers who have paid but choose not to travel due to this service disruption can receive a refund or a voucher for future travel. Some tickets booked online that have not yet been printed can be modified or canceled on Amtrak.com or by using the free Amtrak mobile app.

To be notified of major service disruptions resulting in delays of 60 minutes or more to multiple trains on the Northeast Corridor, follow @AmtrakNEC on Twitter.

Amtrak regrets any inconvenience. This information is correct as of the above time and date. Information is subject to change as conditions warrant. Passengers are encouraged to call 800-USA-RAIL or visit Amtrak.com/alerts for Service Alerts and Passenger Notices. Schedule information and train status updates are available at the Amtrak.com home page.

 

[afigg]

Ok, good news then. There will be at least some service to NYP on Friday. And at least the A train is running to NYP so there will be some subway service. Metro-North is still repairing damage between Stamford and New Haven, so BOS-NYP restoration may take a little longer. I don't see projected restoration of service dates for the Hudson River line.

Any bets as to when Amtrak might get back to full service?

 

[AlanB]

I don't see projected restoration of service dates for the Hudson River line.

Doesn't sound good for the Hudson line, Major washouts, several substations that flooded killing power. My guess, and I stress guess, is that there will be no service at all until Saturday and then only limited service.

Any bets as to when Amtrak might get back to full service?

No bets on full service, but Amtrak tweets suggest restoring service to NYP from the south for Friday. They claim they'll run a modified schedule, whatever that means, for Friday.

No word on points north of there. My guess is again some time this weekend at the earliest.

 

[NE933]

This is Robert, aka NE933, texting from cell. Queens have lot of phones out, but wanted to reassure all I made it ok to my Astoria home. Never missed my garbage and furniture so much and my folks are ok! Thanks for all your prayers and thoght, will give more info when connections restore God speed & take care y'all..

 

[AlanB]

Metro North is now reporting that they'll extend service tomorrow north from the current terminus of North White Plains to Mt. Kisco. They can't get further north due to power plant damage. Not quite sure why they're not going to try to offer some limited diesel service however.

Also expected is a return of service to the New Haven line from Grand Central to Stamford.

 

[crescent2]

Good news, Robert!

Lots of prayers and good wishes have been going for you folks in the NE from the rest of the country.