Both Amtrak and the Metro-North Railroad have resumed their regular weekday service schedules between Bridgeport and New York City after repairs to the tracks damaged by the May 17 derailment were completed.
Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner James P. Redeker called the progress “quite remarkable.”
“Metro-North and Amtrak are important components in keeping the regional economy moving forward and I want to commend Metro-North for its round-the-clock efforts toward getting service back on line,” Redeker said in a May 22 statement.
In the absence of rail service the past two days, Metro-North and the Connecticut Department of Transportation had arranged for 120 buses to provide transportation to commuters on May 20 and 21 between Stamford and Bridgeport.
It took workers just under five days to complete the necessary track repairs in the wake of last week’s derailment and subsequent collision.
At about 6:10 p.m. May 17, a train heading east on the line derailed in Fairfield before getting hit by another train heading in the opposite direction. The trains were traveling at about 70 miles per hour just prior to the crash.
More than 70 people sustained injuries and about seven people remain hospitalized, with one in critical condition, said Gov. Dannel P. Malloy at a press conference May 20.
Malloy said the line’s Wednesday opening was tremendous news and much earlier than anticipated. The damaged rail cars and track have been removed for further investigation and crews are working to restore the the line. Metro-North officials have also ordered special equipment to examine potential safety issues along the rest of the track system. Amtrak service between Boston and New York was also expected to be restored May 22.
“This is very good news and not something we thought could be accomplished,” Malloy said of the quick recovery. “However that means we will have one more day of great difficulty.”
About 30,000 commuters use the New Haven line daily and with service suspended between Westport and Bridgeport, state officials are urging commuters to stay home or work from home.
Malloy said traffic on May 20 was relatively unaffected by the rail closure, suggesting residents had followed state officials’ advice. That day traffic on the Merritt Parkway was below average levels and traffic on Interstate 95 was just slightly above normal.
[Editor’s note: This article was updated on May 23 to reflect updated information from the Connecticut Department of Transportation. An initial version of this article was published the morning of May 22.]
