Packed Trains on the Harlem Line After Tragedy at Spuyten Duyvil

Due to the tragic accident that shut down a portion of Metro North's Hudson line early Sunday morning, commuters on the Harlem line should expect crowded trains this week. In order to accommodate some of the 26,000 commuters who ride the Hudson line, officials have made special arrangements to serve these commuters on the Harlem line – and commuters have already reported packed trains at Hartsdale and Scarsdale stations this morning. One commuter, on a 7 am train from Hartsdale on Monday morning, said that the train arrived almost full and there were few seats available for Hartsdale and Scarsdale commuters.

Service between Tarrytown and Grand Central is now suspended, and may not be restored for a week. Until then, the following special arrangements have been made:

• Free parking is available at the Kensico Dam in Valhalla which is walking distance to the Valhalla Station.
• Additional cars can be accommodated at the Galleria West Parking lot on Main Street in White Plains.
• Free bus service is available between White Plains and Tarrytown stations to allow Hudson line commuters to travel from White Plains.

According to Metro North spokeswoman Marjorie Anders, extra passenger cars are available at Grand Central Station to be added to Harlem line trains if the trains become overcrowded and many of the trains that ran today included extra cars. The current schedule can be viewed here.

The Metro North Commuter Council issued the following statement expressing their concern about safety on the trains.

The Metro-North Railroad Commuter Council (MNRCC) is greatly troubled by this morning's derailment of a New York-bound Hudson Line train. This incident is particularly concerning in view of three major incidents that have occurred on Metro-North during 2013, including the May 17 derailment of a New Haven Line train that resulted in a collision of two trains near Bridgeport, Connecticut, the May 28 death of a track foreman that occurred when a train was erroneously routed onto a track under repair, and the July 18 derailment of a CSX freight train at a location near today's derailment.

The MNRCC calls for a prompt investigation into the cause of today's incident and for the MTA and the Metro-North Railroad to take all necessary steps to ensure that the risk to their passengers from similar failures is minimized. "The riders whom we represent must be assured they are safe when they travel on a Metro-North train, but their confidence in the Railroad has been shaken. Metro-North management must act decisively to ensure that incidents like those that the failures that have occurred this year do not occur again," said MNRCC Chair Randolph Glucksman.

The MNRCC extends its deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in this morning's derailment and its wishes for the full recovery of those who were injured in the incident.

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