HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is warning commuters that it could take up to three weeks to fix broken equipment that has snarled service to and from New York City on the nation’s second-largest commuter railroad.
At a news conference Wednesday, a frustrated Malloy called the disruption substantial and urged commuters to “plan on long-term lack of service or being underserved.”
He says he is hopeful that service will be restored before Oct. 14. That’s when another piece of equipment is scheduled to go online that would also restore service.
He says commuters with rail passes on the Metro-North Railroad should receive credits if the loss of service is prolonged.
The railroad is running far below its normal capacity, with diesel train service to and from New York City to Stamford, Conn. The trains are making local stops.
The delays began when a high-voltage feeder cable failed at about 5:20 a.m. in Mount Vernon, N.Y., a suburb north of New York City. Another feeder was also out for scheduled repairs for equipment upgrades, said Con Edison, the utility serving the New York City area. The broken circuit could take two to three weeks to repair, the utility said.
On Wednesday afternoon, commuter railroad Metro-North said it would provide extremely limited service on hourly trains that would make all local stops and accommodate just 10 percent of its regular ridership on the line between New York City’s Grand Central Terminal and New Haven, Conn. Riders were urged to expect crowded stations and to find alternative service.
Metro-North said it was developing a Thursday morning train and bus shuttle schedule for the tens of thousands of people in the densely populated suburbs north of New York City and into Connecticut who use the commuter railroad, the nation’s second-largest.
Spokeswoman Marjorie Anders advised commuters to find another way into and out of New York.
“It will be crowded. It will be slow. Seek alternate means,” she said in an email.
The delays had a ripple effect. Interstate 95 saw significant traffic congestion on Wednesday morning in Connecticut, where it runs near the railroad. Traffic eased somewhat by early afternoon — from 20-mile backups to traffic jams a few miles long, the Connecticut Department of Transportation reported.
And Amtrak, which runs along the same Metro-North corridor, advised passengers that service in the Northeast was operating with “significant delays.” Acela Express service was suspended between New York and Boston and service between New York and Washington was delayed.
If no alternative source of power is found, that could mean weeks of longer, more congested commutes.
“Alternative transportation is going to be the name of the game for a while,” Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said.
Irate passengers vented online and the head of a commuter advisory group complained that rail service was disrupted frequently over the summer for needed track work in New York. Wednesday’s disruption, though not Metro-North’s fault, adds to frustration among commuters, said Jim Cameron, a commuter advocate.
“It means commuters must have a plan B and a plan C,” he said.