MNRR: A Word About Your Service...

[6 Lexington Ave]

 

Many of you have recently asked about the consistency of the service we have been providing, and with good reason.

Trains that once arrived like clockwork now arrive late. This poor reliability has taken its toll on your commute and we want to answer your questions and explain what is going on.

Since the New Haven Line derailment in May of 2013, we have been engaged in an extensive system-wide review of existing safety and operating practices and have aggressively addressed a number of areas.

We have used state-of-the-art technology to perform a complete and comprehensive assessment of our track on all three lines. With this information, we have developed prioritized maintenance programs, keeping our right-of-way safe and in a state of good repair.

The most recent-and wide-reaching-example of this effort is the Bronx Right-of-Way Improvement Project between Woodlawn and Melrose. This work reduced track capacity by up to 50% in this critical six-mile section, slowing everyone's travel time.

While that project is now finished, we continue to rebuild our right-of-way in other locations in order to eliminate speed restrictions placed in certain areas. These speed restrictions are based upon track conditions that have been identified and are in need of repair.

This intensive focus on track is critical to the safe and reliable operation of the railroad, improving the condition of our infrastructure and preventing its future deterioration.

But it also impacts our ability to provide a reliable, on-time commute. A single train delayed by even a minute can create cascading delays across the entire network due to tracks being taken out of service.

On the New Haven Line, where the reliability needs the most improvement, ongoing critical infrastructure work continues to affect our ability to operate trains on the busiest rail line in the United States.

The current phase of the Connecticut Department of Transportation's project to replace the overhead catenary wire between Southport and Bridgeport now continues until May.

As a result we have less flexibility and capacity to operate trains as two of the four tracks in this 7-mile area remain out of service and temporary speed restrictions on the two tracks available in that area continue.

At Norwalk (WALK) Bridge, a four-track 100-plus-year-old swing bridge, speed restrictions have remained in place since last summer for ongoing repairs.

Following the December 1 derailment, Metro-North has taken a number of additional steps to enhance the safety of the railroad. These have led to certain speed restrictions and specific changes to our operating practices at five critical curves on all three lines, and the five movable bridges on the New Haven Line. In addition, we have reduced speed limits at 33 locations in our services both East and West of the Hudson River, in order to eliminate all areas where the speed limit drops by more than 20 miles per hour.

Finally, the most obvious factor impacting your service is a recurring one: the season. Winter weather has historically affected your commute, with cold temperatures and snow hampering our ability to provide you with consistent regular service.

This winter has been especially harsh, with sub-zero temperatures, snow and ice affecting signals and switches on all three lines. And on the New Haven Line, the 100-year-old catenary and five moveable bridges are highly susceptible to the effects of the winter weather.

Freezing temperatures can also affect our "cars" much like they affect your cars. On our older equipment, powdery snow can blow into traction motors, which turn the train car's wheels, and the moisture can cause them to short out.

Moisture from powdery snow and ice can also freeze in brake lines, air compressors and door mechanisms, causing them to malfunction. Unlike one of your cars, when one of our cars is out of service, it affects you and 100 or so of your fellow commuters.

And while we work to get our train cars back "on the road" as soon as possible, your train may have fewer cars - and therefore, fewer seats - creating more crowded conditions than usual.

You have told us how much you value reliable train schedules. And we will continue to work to develop a new schedule for the spring that provides you a safe, reliable service.

The new schedule will be based on an analysis of current operating conditions as well as taking into account the current status of key projects that are affecting your commute, such as: additional remediation of track areas with speed restrictions on all three lines; the catenary rehabilitation project between Southport and Bridgeport, and new bridge timbers on Walk Bridge.

We appreciate your patience as we deal with this series of significant challenges impacting your service.

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I like the fact that they're trying to explain what's going on.. 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

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I like the fact that they're trying to explain what's going on.. 

It's good that they are because some people may start to lose faith in Metro-North.  I admit that I've been using it a lot less based on what's been happening.  I used to automatically jump on Metro-North when the weather was bad to get to my office, but now I have to hesitate and think hard before I decide because there are delays on at least one line now on a daily basis. Trains being stuck for hours really freaked me out.  With that said, I now use all three lines and service on the New Haven and Harlem lines on weekends has been excellent.  Rush hour service is another story though.  Trains seemed to be backed up yesterday morning on the Hudson Line, though my train from Riverdale luckily was on time.

[RtrainBlues]

What do they mean by "right of way"?  Are they saying that Metro North has "right of way" (service priority) over Amtrak or non-revenue trains in certain instances, meaning the Metro North train would go first ?

[lirr42]

Right of way refers to the land/property that Metro-North owns (i.e. trains have the right of way down that property).  That said, Metro-North does own the tracks so they do theoretically give themselves priority over other trains, but that's not necessarily the context of the term we're using.

[Truckie]

A Metro North revenue train will always take priority over a non revenue train (deadhead).  Sometimes to the point that they proverbially shoot themselves in the foot.  Case in point:  Quite often I'll have to bring a deadhead train from Croton Harmon to GCT.  We'll be delayed upwards of a half hour and it affects us getting to our next train (a GCT departure) on a timely basis, sometimes causing that train to leave a few minutes late.

 

There are times that they give Metro North revenue trains priority over Amtrak.  Being that Amtrak trains are chronically late, they are not going to hold up a Metro North revenue train to make up a few minutes for Amtrak.

[Vistausss]

Do Amtrak trains really run that late? Because everytime an Amtrak train video pops up on my YouTube feed from people I follow, I almost never see a delay. Or is that just coïncedence? Of course, due to the long distances, I'd expect a delay every now and then but does it really happen that often? Love to hear your answer

[Truckie]

I often see their trains 60 plus minutes late at Croton Harmon and Poughkeepsie.

[nostalgia]

Maybe somebody can explain this. Last Saturday, train 6315 dumped its air at Pelham on track 3. The crew announced that the train was going to back up and cross over to the adjacent track. The train backed but didn't cross over to track 1. The train went forward on track 3, the same track. Cab signals are in effect so why the reverse movement? Also, the train crawled 80% of the rest of the trip to GCT, arriving 20 minutes late. No explanation for the delay.

 

Is that good service, keep the passengers in the dark?

[Truckie]

Maybe somebody can explain this. Last Saturday, train 6315 dumped its air at Pelham on track 3. The crew announced that the train was going to back up and cross over to the adjacent track. The train backed but didn't cross over to track 1. The train went forward on track 3, the same track. Cab signals are in effect so why the reverse movement? Also, the train crawled 80% of the rest of the trip to GCT, arriving 20 minutes late. No explanation for the delay.

 

Is that good service, keep the passengers in the dark?

 

There could be a hundred reasons why the above happened and any reason I give would be nothing but speculation. 

 

I do not like keeping passengers in the dark but at the same point I can't let passengers know if I don't know.  We can only go by the information provided by the train dispatcher. 

 

I usually get more information from passengers because they get email alerts from Metro North in real time.

[nostalgia]

There could be a hundred reasons why the above happened and any reason I give would be nothing but speculation. 

 

I do not like keeping passengers in the dark but at the same point I can't let passengers know if I don't know.  We can only go by the information provided by the train dispatcher. 

 

I usually get more information from passengers because they get email alerts from Metro North in real time.

I agree completely that crews can only give information from the RTC. In this case, the RTC should have given more information. As the train was making its reverse move, the express from New Haven flew by on track #1.