Amtrak trains between Boston and New York City were disrupted after two Metro-North trains collided in Connecticut. Credit: Google Images
Travelers scrambled Monday to find alternatives as trains between Boston and New York remained cancelled due to Friday’s train crash in Connecticut.
More than 70 passengers and crew members were hurt when a Metro-North train derailed and then was hit by another train during the evening commute Friday, between Fairfield and Bridgeport, Conn., aboout 50 miles northeast of New York City.
Amtrak trains were running with only limited service between Boston and New Haven. All trains between New Haven and New York City were cancelled indefinitely.
Many buses bound for New York from Boston’s South Station were already sold out early Monday morning.
Investigators have found a fractured piece of track, but aren’t sure whether the damage was caused by the accident, or vice versa. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation and has ruled out foul play.
On Sunday, Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy warned that Monday’s commute would be “extremely challenging,”
“I am activating the state’s Emergency Management System. There will be serious disruptions all week, and I would encourage anyone who can to stay home, if possible,” Malloy said at a news conference.
Officials with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates Metro-North trains, said approximately 2,000 feet of track needed to be replaced. The MTA planned to operate shuttle buses in the 31-mile stretch closed to rail traffic between Bridgeport and Stamford, Conn.
The New York-New Haven Metro-North line is the busiest rail line in the country, serving 125,000 commuters a day, said Judd Everhart, a spokesman for the Connecticut Department of Transportation.
With additional reporting by Reuters. Follow Metro Boston on Twitter: @MetroBos
