Metro-North delayed by disabled equipment; LIRR partially suspended due to downed wires
Metro-North riders were dealing with delays, and Long Island Rail Road service was partially suspended following separate issues that made for a messy Tuesday morning commute.
MTA crews worked to remove a maintenance vehicle that broke down on the Metro-North tracks in Woodlawn, and others are cleared downed wires from the LIRR tracks in Hicksville.
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Metro-North riders face major delays for morning rush
Both the New Haven and Harlem lines were delayed Tuesday morning because of the disabled maintenance vehicle just north of the Woodlawn station. At one point, delays were up to 60 minutes, the MTA said.
Chopper 2 flew over the scene, where crews were seen using a special work train to remove the disabled equipment from the tracks.
Commuters stuck on crowded platforms said they were late for appointments, classes and meetings.
On the Harlem line, southbound trains skipped Tremont and Woodlawn. Customers from Tremont were told to head to Fordham, and Woodlawn riders were directed to Mount Vernon West.
There was also a heavy flow of reverse commuters heading to work in places like New Rochelle and Stamford.
"I'm coming from New Haven, Connecticut," one person said at the New Rochelle station. "It was about two hours or so, I had to transfer three trains."
"Since moving to New Rochelle, this has been fairly regular, which is very inconvenient, because I work in the city. Seems to happen way too much," resident Stephen Ranellone said.
LIRR partially suspended, power outages reported
Meanwhile, the LIRR's Port Jefferson Branch was suspended between Hicksville and Huntington because of downed wires on the elevated tracks in Hicksville.
Riders were encouraged to take the Oyster Bay or Ronkonkoma branches instead.
At this point, there's no word on what caused the wires to come down.
PSEG Long Island also reported approximately 500 power outages Tuesday morning in Hicksville. The utility later said most customers had been restored shortly before 10:30 a.m.