Transit Troubles Plague Memorial Day Weekend Commute
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Service got back to normal on Metro North and the Long Island Railroad Friday night, after a series of separate disruptions earlier in the evening brought the holiday travel rush to a halt.
It was a rough start to the Memorial Day weekend at Grand Central Station.
Delays of nearly an hour and a half on the Harlem and New Haven lines plagued the evening rush.
Harlem Line service is currently experiencing delays of up to 85 minutes due to earlier multiple fires in the vicinity of Wakefield.
— Metro-North Railroad. Wear a Mask-Stop the Spread. (@MetroNorth) May 24, 2019
The MTA said a brush fire near the tracks in Wakefield caused a temporary service suspension and long delays for passengers.
"We left for the city at 4 a.m. Friday morning, so we're ready to get back to Connecticut," one tired commuter said.
While crews are on scene troubleshooting the issue, a rescue engine is en route to move the train currently disabled in one of the East River tunnels. As a result, customers can anticipate eastbound delays averaging 10 minutes along with some cancellations.
— LIRR. Wear a Mask. (@LIRR) May 24, 2019
At Penn Station, there was even more train trouble, after a LIRR train stalled in the East River Tunnel.
Both agencies later reported that service was running at or close to on time.
Harlem Line service is now operating on or close to schedule. We apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced as a result of this incident.
— Metro-North Railroad. Wear a Mask-Stop the Spread. (@MetroNorth) May 25, 2019