New Haven Line Commuters Should Anticipate Rush-Hour Delays

Metro-North Railroad and the Connecticut Department of Transportation has issued an advisory for New Haven Line customers traveling through the Stratford area should anticipate rush hour delays until further notice because of train congestion resulting from mechanical problems with the Devon Movable Bridge.

It’s unclear whether there will be an impact on other areas of the lines as experienced during the morning rush hour when trains were delayed by up to 30 minutes.

The bridge, built in 1904, carries New Haven Line, Waterbury Branch, Amtrak and Shore Line East trains over the Housatonic River between Stratford and Milford. The bridge has two drawbridge spans that open vertically to allow marine traffic to pass underneath. The southern span of the bridge, which carries Metro-North’s Tracks 2 and 4, is in the closed position and carrying train traffic at reduced speeds.

The northern span, which carries Metro-North’s Tracks 1 and 3, opened for a scheduled test opening and closing at approximately 1 a.m. on Wednesday, and was unable to close and is now in the vertical position, according to Metro-North. As the span was closing it damaged the bridge abutment piers. The span remained in the open position Wednesday morning. Personnel from Metro-North Railroad and the Connecticut Department of Transportation are at the bridge to assess the nature of the damage and identify what repairs need to be done to firmly close and lock the span to allow train service to resume, according to the railroad.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation has issued an emergency declaration to allow contractors and Metro-North personnel to expedite repairs. While the work is underway, all trains will use the southern span of the bridge.

Train customers at Milford and the temporary Devon Transfer station will notice temporary metal pedestrian bridge plates have been erected to allow customers to walk from the westbound platforms to the middle track.

Metro-North anticipates train congestion during rush hours due to the use of only two tracks.

For the latest service updates, Metro-North customers are advised to listen carefully at stations for announcements, monitor the news media including traffic and transit reports, sign up for email or text message service alerts at www.mymtaalerts.com, and follow @MetroNorth on Twitter.

Photo: the Devon bridge stuck in the open position. Credit: The MTA.