Work Along Hudson Line?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

It's been a while since I've been using Metro-North, but today I used to and from Riverdale. Coming to the Spuyten Duyvil station, we were let off where we normally board the Hudson Railink shuttle at night. Coming back for some odd reason, our train didn't stop at Spuyten Duyvil. We went straight to Riverdale so I had to backtrack a bit to get home. I'm rather annoyed that no announcements were made nor did the conductor who checked my E-tix say anything. I know there is work going in the area in Spuyten Duyvil impacting parking at the station and work at the Riverdale station outside of it, but neither project should be impacting Metro-North so what gives? 

There was also something further up in Westchester going on. Some service issue up by Cold Spring. I still didn't think there would be an issue. This was a train that only went to Greystone.

[Italianstallion]

The train should have stopped, and if not you should have been told first. Sounds like a f**k up. All Riverdale trains also stop at SD. Were there other passengers also inconvenienced?

There is no work that should have necessitated skipping SD. You should email MTA to complain.

[checkmatechamp13]

For that matter, if they bypassed the station, who knows if that screwed over any passengers waiting there looking to go further north.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

6 hours ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

For that matter, if they bypassed the station, who knows if that screwed over any passengers waiting there looking to go further north.

Hardly anyone in Riverdale reverse commutes at either station. There is some reverse commuting, but not nearly as much as you see at stations in the South Bronx or in University Heights or Morris Heights. At night I can’t recall ever seeing anyone get on as I’ve been getting off. It’s mostly white collar types coming back from Midtown.

7 hours ago, Italianstallion said:

The train should have stopped, and if not you should have been told first. Sounds like a f**k up. All Riverdale trains also stop at SD. Were there other passengers also inconvenienced?

There is no work that should have necessitated skipping SD. You should email MTA to complain.

Yeah it was very weird. I will file a complaint and see what they say. They usually are good at writing actual responses and not canned ones. Regarding other passengers, it was hard to tell. Ridership seemed lighter anyway than usual since it was a Friday and a lot of people take off in the summer. There was only one Hudson Raillink Bus (I believe there are three shuttle buses at Spuyten Duyvil at that time which also threw me off) and when I told the driver what happened, and asked him what stops he made, he non-chalantly said 254th and Riverdale Avenue as if it’s happened before, or to imply that that was as close as I could get with him and that I was on my own from there. I was rather perplexed at how many stops are made along 254th though. Two stops before Riverdale Avenue?? There is money with the houses near and up the hill from Palisade Avenue and some co-ops along 254th but still. Seemed like overkill. I just took the Bx7 from there (there was one immediately after I got off of the shuttle bus going to Isham St), as I had just missed a Bx7 going the full distance, so I took him to 239th and Riverdale Avenue and walked home from there. 

I usually don’t use the Hudson Raillink from that station, so I had no idea what the stops were.

[paulrivera]

On 8/3/2018 at 9:48 PM, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

It's been a while since I've been using Metro-North, but today I used to and from Riverdale. Coming to the Spuyten Duyvil station, we were let off where we normally board the Hudson Railink shuttle at night. Coming back for some odd reason, our train didn't stop at Spuyten Duyvil. We went straight to Riverdale so I had to backtrack a bit to get home. I'm rather annoyed that no announcements were made nor did the conductor who checked my E-tix say anything. I know there is work going in the area in Spuyten Duyvil impacting parking at the station and work at the Riverdale station outside of it, but neither project should be impacting Metro-North so what gives? 

There was also something further up in Westchester going on. Some service issue up by Cold Spring. I still didn't think there would be an issue. This was a train that only went to Greystone.

How did I not see this post before...

Anyways, definitely complain. All tracks platform at Spuyten and unless there's PD activity or a safety issue there's no excuse, and I know for a fact that the Greystone trains are supposed to make every single stop.

One time I reported a train crew doing this and they answered same day stating the crew would be reprimanded and sent in for re-training.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

29 minutes ago, paulrivera said:

How did I not see this post before...

Anyways, definitely complain. All tracks platform at Spuyten and unless there's PD activity or a safety issue there's no excuse, and I know for a fact that the Greystone trains are supposed to make every single stop.

One time I reported a train crew doing this and they answered same day stating the crew would be reprimanded and sent in for re-training.

You can actually track your complaints now on the  website.  Go to "Log In / My Account" and sign up that way. I can see all of my complaints going back to 2015.  There are a lot of them. lol I had 15 in 2015 alone, mainly for late missing buses and rude drivers.  A few here and there for Metro-North.

[Italianstallion]

On 8/13/2018 at 4:37 AM, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Hardly anyone in Riverdale reverse commutes at either station. There is some reverse commuting, but not nearly as much as you see at stations in the South Bronx or in University Heights or Morris Heights. At night I can’t recall ever seeing anyone get on as I’ve been getting off. It’s mostly white collar types coming back from Midtown.

Yeah it was very weird. I will file a complaint and see what they say. They usually are good at writing actual responses and not canned ones. Regarding other passengers, it was hard to tell. Ridership seemed lighter anyway than usual since it was a Friday and a lot of people take off in the summer. There was only one Hudson Raillink Bus (I believe there are three shuttle buses at Spuyten Duyvil at that time which also threw me off) and when I told the driver what happened, and asked him what stops he made, he non-chalantly said 254th and Riverdale Avenue as if it’s happened before, or to imply that that was as close as I could get with him and that I was on my own from there. I was rather perplexed at how many stops are made along 254th though. Two stops before Riverdale Avenue?? There is money with the houses near and up the hill from Palisade Avenue and some co-ops along 254th but still. Seemed like overkill. I just took the Bx7 from there (there was one immediately after I got off of the shuttle bus going to Isham St), as I had just missed a Bx7 going the full distance, so I took him to 239th and Riverdale Avenue and walked home from there. 

I usually don’t use the Hudson Raillink from that station, so I had no idea what the stops were.

There are no official Rail Link stops between the station and Riverdale Ave. But the drivers will let off people who live along the route near to their homes. I have no idea if the reverse is true - can you board the bus at an unofficial stop.

I believe the Spuyten Duyvil buses also extend this unofficial courtesy.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

17 minutes ago, Italianstallion said:

There are no official Rail Link stops between the station and Riverdale Ave. But the drivers will let off people who live along the route near to their homes. I have no idea if the reverse is true - can you board the bus at an unofficial stop.

I believe the Spuyten Duyvil buses also extend this unofficial courtesy.

Yes they do, but there aren't many of them. There seems to be one stop that they make in the morning at Independence Avenue and West 237th street across from the Riverdale Jewish Center that is not an official one.  Over the years I've seen people get on there, though not regularly.  Outside of that stop, all of the other ones are official stops usually where the express buses stop along Henry Hudson Parkway and down on Kappock. At night there are a few regulars that like to get dropped off before 232nd and Henry Hudson Parkway. 

The route that skips Spuyten Duyvil has a stop at Riverdale and 238th that I like to get off at this way I can come over to Henry Hudson Parkway easily without having to sit through all of the stops in Spuyten Duyvil.  There's also this one that trip that seems to literally drop off people right by their co-ops along Johnson Avenue in the Downtown area though I've never been able to confirm this for sure but I've seen the bus parked at different locations along Johnson Avenue. That big co-op building down at 2500 Johnson by Kappock... The Winston Churchill... They literally get dropped off right in front of the building at night. I think that's the only non official stop like that.  I always say to myself is this for real since I could never see myself requesting such a service.  The official stop is less than a minute walking.  

[Union Tpke]

http://web.mta.info/mnr/html/ExplanationOfService.htm

An explanation regarding recent Hudson Line service

The delays you have been experiencing on the Hudson Line this summer are primarily the result of infrastructure projects we are undertaking coupled with mechanical problems on our diesel locomotive fleet that operates on the Upper Hudson. Other delays resulted from downed trees and power lines in last week's thunderstorms, as well as the effect of continued hot and humid weather on our infrastructure and equipment.

Summer is the peak of our annual infrastructure program, and we have several important infrastructure projects underway on the Hudson Line, including new rail and tie installation and the continuation of our Superstorm Sandy infrastructure upgrade. We are required to take tracks out of service to perform this important work, which unfortunately reduces our flexibility if another operational issue should arise.

The extended hot and humid conditions have also had an impact on our aging dual mode locomotive fleet. To help improve locomotive availability, Metro-North is implementing an action plan that includes increased technical and engineering support and additional repair personnel at our maintenance facilities. In parallel, we are accelerating the replacement our Genesis locomotive fleet, which has served us well since 1995.

We regret any inconvenience you may have experienced as a result of these delays, and we thank you for your patience while we perform these important safety and reliability improvements.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

3 minutes ago, Union Tpke said:

http://web.mta.info/mnr/html/ExplanationOfService.htm

An explanation regarding recent Hudson Line service

The delays you have been experiencing on the Hudson Line this summer are primarily the result of infrastructure projects we are undertaking coupled with mechanical problems on our diesel locomotive fleet that operates on the Upper Hudson. Other delays resulted from downed trees and power lines in last week's thunderstorms, as well as the effect of continued hot and humid weather on our infrastructure and equipment.

Summer is the peak of our annual infrastructure program, and we have several important infrastructure projects underway on the Hudson Line, including new rail and tie installation and the continuation of our Superstorm Sandy infrastructure upgrade. We are required to take tracks out of service to perform this important work, which unfortunately reduces our flexibility if another operational issue should arise.

The extended hot and humid conditions have also had an impact on our aging dual mode locomotive fleet. To help improve locomotive availability, Metro-North is implementing an action plan that includes increased technical and engineering support and additional repair personnel at our maintenance facilities. In parallel, we are accelerating the replacement our Genesis locomotive fleet, which has served us well since 1995.

We regret any inconvenience you may have experienced as a result of these delays, and we thank you for your patience while we perform these important safety and reliability improvements.

Yeah but this is talking about stations on the Upper Hudson, not in places like Riverdale, so usually if work was being done, they'd make an announcement.

[Union Tpke]

1 minute ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Yeah but this is talking about stations on the Upper Hudson, not in places like Riverdale, so usually if work was being done, they'd make an announcement.

Never mind.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Just now, Union Tpke said:

Never mind.

I was aware of that work. They've been having issues as well up there... Cold Spring, Poughkeepsie... But those are all well north.

[Union Tpke]

1 minute ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

I was aware of that work. They've been having issues as well up there... Cold Spring, Poughkeepsie... But those are all well north.

A friend of mine was at Marble Hill a few days ago and saw an M2 passing by NIS. Do you have any clue why?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

1 minute ago, Union Tpke said:

A friend of mine was at Marble Hill a few days ago and saw an M2 passing by NIS. Do you have any clue why?

Likely going to that Highbridge Facility to get work done or whatever.  On some trains to Grand Central they actually stop there (in service). Workers get on in a specific car and then they continue on.

[Union Tpke]

32 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Likely going to that Highbridge Facility to get work done or whatever.  On some trains to Grand Central they actually stop there (in service). Workers get on in a specific car and then they continue on.

Why would it have passed through Marble Hill?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

4 minutes ago, Union Tpke said:

Why would it have passed through Marble Hill?

The facility is south of Marble Hill right before the Yankee Stadium stop.  Believe it or not, NIS trains along the Hudson Line are a frequent occurrence. On nights when I stay in Manhattan and come back to Riverdale early to change and head to my office, sometimes I take Metro-North back. There are at least two NIS trains heading north every morning ~08:00 I assume up to Croton-on-Hudson for the Croton Harmon stop.   It is quite common also to see trains used on the New Haven Line in service on the Hudson Line (not the newer trains, but the old ones for sure).  I believe those they use for Upper Hudson service from places like Poughkeepsie (semi express trains).  

[RR503]

9 minutes ago, Union Tpke said:

Why would it have passed through Marble Hill?

A lot of EMU mx on MNR is done at Croton shops — that’s why you’ll see NH equipment head that way. 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

5 minutes ago, RR503 said:

A lot of EMU mx on MNR is done at Croton shops — that’s why you’ll see NH equipment head that way. 

We've had a lot of trains with new seats (Thank God - desperately needed). The new seats are much nicer like the ones on the New Haven Line.  Softer and feels and looks like real leather or at least a better material. Those cheap old "pleather" seats are horrible and filthy. I assume they do the work at the Highbridge Facility or is that split between there and the shop up in Croton-on-Hudson?  It has to be in house because sometimes they change out the entire seat (the actual part where you sit and the head rest and sometimes it's a mix of the old and new, which looks pretty stupid).

[RR503]

Just now, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

 We've had a lot of trains with new seats (Thank God - desperately needed). The new seats are much nicer like the ones on the New Haven Line.  Softer and feels and looks like real leather or at least a better material. Those cheap old "pleather" seats are horrible and filthy. I assume they do the work at the Highbridge Facility or is that split between there and the shop up in Croton-on-Hudson?  It has to be in house because sometimes they change out the entire seat (the actual part where you sit and the head rest and sometimes it's a mix of the old and new, which looks pretty stupid).

IIRC Highbridge is just interior/exterior cleaning and some basic mx. The heavy stuff is done at Croton and to a lesser extent, New Haven -- so I'd imagine the seat stuff is being done at Croton.