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Metro-North New Haven Line Could Be At 50 Percent Capacity By Monday

HARRISON, N.Y. -- Metro-North hopes to have the New Haven Line operating at 50 percent capacity on Monday morning after commuters endured three days of limited train service last week, officials said Saturday afternoon.

MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast and Metro-North President Howard Permut visited the Harrison train station Saturday to see Con Edison's progress in coming up with a temporary solution to the power outage along the New Haven Line.

MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast and Metro-North President Howard Permut visited the Harrison train station Saturday to see Con Edison's progress in coming up with a temporary solution to the power outage along the New Haven Line.

Photo Credit: Metropolitan Transportation Authority via Twitter ?@MTA
Metro-North passengers have endured limited service on the New Haven Line since Wednesday, Sept. 25.

Metro-North passengers have endured limited service on the New Haven Line since Wednesday, Sept. 25.

Photo Credit: Metropolitan Transportation Authority/Kevin Ortiz

At a press conference at the Harrison train station, officials said they would be using a makeshift electrical substation to provide power to trains. 

Early last Wednesday morning, New Haven Line service between Stamford and Grand Central was halted as a result of a power failure in Mount Vernon. The Con Ed outage left an approximately 8-mile stretch of the train line without power, causing limited service to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan via 24 diesel-powered trains.

Service was at about a third of capacity on Thursday and Friday for riders on the New Haven Line in Fairfield County, Conn., and Westchester County. Riders have endured complicated schedule changes with the service disruption.  

According to MTA Chairman Tom Prendergrast, the new substation would allow 20 percent of the usual amount of electric trains to run on the line.

Diesel-powered trains will still be used. Full power is not expected to be restored until mid-October.

On Friday, Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy called for Metro-North to refund commuters for the service disruptions.

“I have told Metro-North and the MTA, in no uncertain terms, that I expect them to produce a plan to compensate Connecticut riders for the lack of service,” Malloy said Friday in Hartford. “As you know, I’m more than willing to put the full power of the state of Connecticut behind that demand.”

Limited train service continues Sunday. For details on the schedule, click here for the Metro-North service advisory. 

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