Metro-North suspends Port Jervis service indefinitely due to “catastrophic damage”

Train service on the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Metro-North Railraod Port Jervis Line is suspended until further notice due to extensive damage to many portions of the line as a result of Hurricane Irene. The full extent of the damage has not been determined, as much of the line remains inaccessible and under water. Through a combination of observations made on the ground and from a helicopter, Metro-North work crews have observed significant washouts and fallen trees at numerous locations along the tracks west of Suffern. Some of the more significant issues that have been identified include: • Three washout locations of 1,000 feet each near Sloatsburg
 • A 400-foot section of track washed out to a depth of eight feet south of Sloatsburg • Significant damage to several railroad bridges • Suspected significant damage to the signal system, which is exposed and under water Metro-North will retain an engineering firm to perform a thorough inspection of 24 miles of infrastructure to determine the full extent of necessary repairs and determine required environmental permitting. Major construction work would follow. It will take months to rebuild the track, signal and bridge infrastructure required to reinstitute train service, although the exact duration will be determined by the investigation. Metro-North worked with Orange County to develop an alternate service plan for the 2,300 people who use the Port Jervis Line each weekday. If the NYS Thruway is open, bus service will take customers from the Harriman Station to the Ramsey/Route 17 station to catch trains. For the return trip, customers will get off trains at Ramsey/Route 17 and board a bus for the trip back to Harriman. Buses will follow the train schedule. As road and station conditions improve in Orange County, Metro-North will seek to expand the bus options available.