Service Restored to New Haven Line After Shutdown

Update, 12:45 a.m.: Metro-North reports that service has been restored along the New Haven Line after 8-plus hours of interruption. More on this as information becomes available.

Update, 10:50 p.m.: Metro-North has released the following statement:

Limited shuttle service is being provided between Grand Central and Stamford on the New Haven Line due to extensive wire damage in the vicinity of Greenwich.

Customers for Rye, Port Chester and Greenwich will transfer to a bus at New Rochelle.

Although crews are working to fix the damage, we do not anticipate regularly scheduled train service to be restored this evening. All New Haven Line customers should anticipate their travel times to be extended 60-90  minutes.

Please follow the direction of Metro-North employees and listen for announcements. Use Harlem Line train service as an alternative if possible.

Original story: Metro-North's New Haven line remained shut down as of 6:30 p.m. Saturday due to extensive wire damage.

Pantographs, the arms that connect up to the electrical lines, became snarled on trains on two different tracks within 30 minutes.

With one of the four tracks already out of service, the two incidents—which occurred west of Greenwich at 3:15 p.m. and 3:45 p.m.—caused all trains to be halted.

"Customers are urged to use the Harlem Line for train service. Because of technical problems, the Customer Information Center phone number is temporarily out of service. We regret any inconvenience," read an alert from Metro North.

Some passengers were forced to remain on their trains.

Dan Brucker, Metro-North spokesman, said he wasn't aware yet how many passengers might have been stranded, but at least one rider who was stuck on a train outside the Port Chester station for about 3 hours said the heat had prompted some passengers to need medical attention.

Brett Masterson, ad manager for Patch, said his train stopped outside Port Chester around 3 p.m. and they were finally let off at 6:15 p.m.

"It was overall a bad situation," Masterson said. "One passenger jumped off while we were stopped and ran into the woods. Other passengers were told to stay on the train due to live rails. There were numerous people who needed medical attention due to asthma and overheating. They were let off the train."

Police boarded at one point to reassure everyone, he said.

It's not always possible to get people off the trains safely, Brucker said, and the damage in this case was extensive.

No word yet on when service might be restored, though as of about 6:45 p.m. Metro-North was beginning a limited shuttle service between Grand Central and New Rochelle.