UPDATE: Rush Hour Metro North Trains to Run On Schedule

UPDATE: 4:10 p.m.

With an exuberant cry of "We're back!" MTA Spokesperson Marjorie Anders said Metro-North train service has been fully restored after this morning's bridge fire.

"The bridge has been inspected. The structure is fine. The signal system is fine," Anders said. 

As late as 3:50 p.m. the MTA was working on alternative service plans and bracing themselves  for rush hour, which officially starts at 4:00 p.m. "If need be, we will combine trains, cancel trains, and continue to go to the outlying stations," Anders said at the time.

It turned out the contingency plans weren't necessary.  Metro-North trains are running on schedule as of 4:10 p.m.

Original Story

Metro-North has resumed off-peak service on its New Haven line, with scattered delays of up to 15 minutes, according to MTA Spokesman Sam Zambuto.

Train service into and out of Manhattan was interrupted for approximately three hours after a fire started underneath the Park Avenue Bridge, which spans the Harlem River.  

Zambuto said two of the bridge's four tracks are currently in use. 

"Assessment is continuing on the other two tracks," Zambuto told Patch. The two tracks are sufficient for off-peak demand, but until the condition of those tracks is determined, no decisions have been made about this afternoon's rush hour."We'll be putting out information about the rush hour a little bit later," Zambuto said.

For the duration of the fire and while engineers were inspecting the bridge's structural integrity, Metro-North trains were traveling only as far as the Yankee Stadium station.  Commuters were switching to and from subway trains at that point.

"Now that service is restored, we're not doing that any longer," Zambuto said. "However if there is an impact on rush hour that may change."

The Yankees will be playing the Tampa Bay Rays at home tonight.  The first pitch will be at 7:05 p.m.