The Metro-North has limited Hudson Line service between Poughkeepsie and Yonkers and no service between Yonkers and Grand Central Terminal as authorities continue to investigate a Sunday derailment in the Bronx.
On Sunday morning, a train en route to Grand Central Terminal from Poughkeepsie jumped a curve along the Hudson River 100 feet from Spuyten Duyvil station in the Bronx, leaving four dead and 71 injured.
National Transportation Safety Board member Earl Weener said at an on-site briefing Sunday afternoon a “multidisciplinary team” will examine the potential causes of the derailment, document the conditions of the cars and interview the derailed train’s personnel.
This is the third Metro-North train derailment this year and the second to occur in the same area of the Bronx; a freight train came off the tracks at the same curve in July. Earlier this year, a Metro-North train collision occurred between Bridgeport and Fairfield, injuring 76 people. In a recent press release, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said the latest train derailment further raises the question of safety on Metro-North’s railroads.
“Although causes must be determined, Metro-North must confront questions about adequacy of equipment, tracks and maintenance and repair practices,” Blumenthal said in a press release. He said that he contacted the NTSB chairperson Deborah Hersman and “urged an expedited investigation.”
Harlem and New Haven Line services will continue to operate on regular schedules. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said passengers should expect delays and crowded conditions.
Passengers traveling to Manhattan can catch the shuttle bus at the Yonkers station and connect to the Van Cortlandt Park-242nd Street local one subway. The New York City subways will run two more local one trains per hour during the daytime, the MTA said. Passengers traveling north can take the local one train to Van Cortlandt Park-242nd Street. Bus services will take passengers to the Yonkers station with limited train service to Poughkeepsie.
