Metro-North to resume full Port Jervis service Nov. 28

An ongoing rebuilding effort on the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority Metro-North Port Jervis Line has expedited the resumption of full service by an entire month with through trains now set to begin on November 28. Since the end of August, when flooding associated with tropical storm Irene devastated 14 miles of the Port Jervis Line, track repairs have been underway by Metro-North's own workforce. The progress of this effort has been so great that the amount of work that still needs to be done by a third party contractor has been significantly reduced. In addition, the cost of repairs, substitute bus service and lost revenue currently is estimated between $30 million and $40 million, less than the original $60 million estimate. On November 28, Metro-North trains will return to the full pre-storm schedule of 26 daily trains and 14 trains each weekend day and the interim train-bus-train service will cease. Until then, Metro-North will continue to operate 17 trains daily between Port Jervis and Harriman, representing 65 percent of regular weekday train service. This train shuttle service began September 19. Trains from Port Jervis connect at Harriman with express bus service to NJ Transit's Ramsey/Route 17 for trains to Hoboken, Secaucus and Penn Station. The schedule provides some peak period train service only. Buses continue to provide service for the remaining trains and on weekends. A number of factors contributed to the accelerated timetable. A declaration of emergency by the MTA Chairman authorized Metro-North President, Howard Permut to initiate expenditures, procurements and repairs in the most expedited manner possible, including negotiating property easements to gain access to the right-of-way. The railroad cited excellent cooperation from the Village of Sloatsburg, which provided land that allowed the railroad to accept delivery of stone and enabled track workers to build an access road to bring stone and heavy equipment to the damaged right-of-way. Several other property owners also cooperated with the railroad to provide property easements so that workers and heavy machinery were able to reach the tracks. Because of the expedited engineering report, the railroad was able to solicit competitive bids for the work not done by railroad employees and an expedited award was made October 12 to Halmar, of Pearl River, for $10.5 million to cover the remaining work. Halmar currently is working in the Sloatsburg area to repair Track 2, the first track that will be put back into service. This means continuing to fill in wash outs, finishing culvert installations and completing critical bridge repairs. Although full train service will resume November 28, much work still needs to be done, including stabilizing the river bank along the right-of-way, building retaining walls and other flood mitigations. Given the tremendous progress made to date, the original estimate for completion of all Port Jervis line repairs has been moved forward from fall 2012 to June 2012.