Improved Transit Situation Tuesday; Irene's Aftermath Still Stifling Full Service
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - The Tuesday morning commuter situation will be much improved, but still could leave thousands who rely on Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road scrambling to find other means of transportation.
It could take days before full service is restored for Metro-North customers. Some service resumed Monday afternoon, but parts of the storm-ravaged rail line are still shut down. For details, CLICK HERE.
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Long Island Rail Road said service east of Ronkonkoma through to Greenport will remain suspended for Tuesday's AM rush while storm damage was assessed and repaired. Service is still suspended on the Long Beach, Montauk and Oyster Bay lines. For details, CLICK HERE.
New Jersey Transit also announced that most rail service would resume on Tuesday. For details, CLICK HERE.
LATEST ON METRO-NORTH
The first Metro-North trains in over two days began running Monday as crews worked around the clock on the heavily-damaged railroad to deal with mudslides, fallen trees, downed power lines and floods throughout the system, CBS 2's Marcia Kramer reported.
"We're going back to the city," exclaimed Manhattan resident Stacy Zervas upon getting word of resumed limited service.
The railroad restored some service on its Hudson, Lower Harlem and New Haven lines Monday. The agency said that regular weekday service would resume on those lines Tuesday. However, service on the Upper Harlem, New Canaan, Danbury and Waterbury, Port Jervis and Pascack Valley lines remained suspended.
The railroad said trees continue to fall on the Upper Harlem line and water continues to flood other areas, making it difficult to assess the full impact of the storm on its infrastructure. The threat of even more mudslides was also worrisome.
Tribeca resident Rhea Keller evacuacted to New Caanan, Connecticut, but had no way to get home.
"I had to get someone to cover my shift at work today," she said.
SUBWAY SERVICE BACK ON TRACK
Meanwhile, the New York City subway system was back on track at 6 a.m. Monday, easing the morning commute for millions who were concerned they'd have no way to get into work or back to their homes.
"The good news is that our worst fear, that the under-river tunnels in the East River would flood with salt water, were not realized. We certainly dodged something there," said MTA Chairman Jay Walder.
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The roar of the subway never sounded as good to commuters as it did Monday morning.
"It's good to see them working and up and running," one rider said. "I think they did a pretty good job."
Workers went underground to put the finishing touches on the inspections Sunday. Track supervisor Andy Weber said getting the system back up and running is an immense task.
"Making sure all the parts they put back are working, making sure all the signals are working," were all part of the challenges the MTA faced, Weber said.
Buses had been running since Sunday evening and Staten Island ferry service was also running normally.
Now that Irene has blown through, what do you make of the decision to shut down mass transit? Better safe than sorry or a total overreaction? Sound off in our comments section.
