UPDATE: Morning Commute, Feb. 5--What You Need to Know for the Morning Commute

UPDATE 12:30AM Feb. 5

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced just before midnight that Metro-North will resume train service on the Harlem Line Thursday morning for the first time since Tuesday night’s collision between a passenger train and a SUV near Valhalla Station, according to a press statement from his office.

Metro-North customers should expect delays as trains will have to slow down as they pass through the work zone at the site of the accident.

The first train to operate over the crossing will be the 4:26 a.m. departure from Southeast, which is due into Grand Central at 5:30 a.m.

UPDATE 10PM Feb. 4

The Southbound Taconic State Parkway, which was closed at 6:47PM Feb. 3 in Mount Pleasant—after a deadly collision of a Metro North train with a Mercedes SUV on the tracks at the Commerce Street crossing—has been reopened, according to New York State Transportation Department officials.

HARLEM LINE TRAGEDY:

• Bedford Resident Eric Vandercar Among Victims
• Harlem Line Tragedy: Engineer Credited With Saving Lives
• Bedford Hills Resident Walter Liedtke Among Victims in Metro North Tragedy
• Edgemont Resident Ellen Brody Among Victims in Metro North Tragedy
• Last Three Victims ID’d in Deadly Feb. 3 Crash
• Chaos, Sadness and Prayers: A Commuter’s Train Ride When Tragedy Struck
• Metro-North Harlem Line Tragedy: Timeline; Feds Collecting Evidence
• What You Need to Know if You Take Metro-North
• On Twitter: News and Reaction to the Harlem Line Tragedy
• Tough Weather Conditions for Train Accident Investigation

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Metro North has announced plans for this evening’s commute for riders of the Harlem Line, suspended Feb. 3 when a commuter train plowed into an SUV that had driven onto the tracks in Mount Pleasant.

Restoration of train service is contingent on four things:

• Removal of the damaged train to a storage facility
• Completion of on-scene investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board
• Damage assessment by Metro North, MTA crews
• Repairs to the tracks, specially the broken third rail, and the crossing

The first step could happen as soon as this afternoon, officials said. The others could take days.

With the NTSB now on the scene, the probe into last night’s deadly train crash in Mount Pleasant has begun in earnest.

“Our goal is to not only find out what happened but why it happened, so we can issue safety recommendations to try to keep it from happening again,” said Robert Sumwalt, an NTSB board member, told FIOS1 News early this morning.

At an 11:10 a.m. press briefing, Sumwalt said the NTSB had just officially taken over the accident scene, and investigators had started looking at the first train car, which burst into flames at 6:30 p.m. when the train collided with the SUV and pushed it far down the tracks from the Commerce Street at-grade crossing.

A section of the third rail sliced up through the first car, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino said.

Investigators should have some concrete information by this afternoon; if so, the NTSB will hold another press briefing, Sumwalt said.

Examination of the damaged train will continue once it is under cover.

Meanwhile, Metro North has released its plan for the afternoon commute. For those headed north from Grand Central and 125th Street, there will be train service to North White Plains Station with bus service to Pleasantville; then train service will continue northbound to Southeast with connections to Wassaic.

For those southbound, train service is available from Southeast and Wassaic to Pleasantville. Shuttle bus service will operate between Pleasantville and North White Plains. From there, there will be train service to all points south.

There will not be service at the Hawthorne and Valhalla stations, to the north and south of the crash site. Customers should go to an alternate station, Metro North officials said.

4:30PM Feb. 4

Statement from the Metro-North Railroad Commuter Council:

The Metro-North Railroad Commuter Council (MNRCC) extends its deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in yesterday evening’s collision on the Harlem Line north of the Vahalla station and expresses its sincere wishes for the full recovery of those who were injured in the incident.

The MNRCC looks forward to the investigation into this incident and hopes that its results will yield actions that make similar accidents less likely in the future.

2:10PM Feb 4.

Metro North officials have made a statement:

MTA Chairman & CEO Thomas Prendergast and Metro-North President Joseph Giulietti are working today in collaboration with the National Transportation Safety Board on its investigation regarding last evening’s collision between a passenger train and SUV near Valhalla Station. MTA Metro-North Railroad is accompanying the NTSB with its initial on-site investigation of the incident.

MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast said: “The entire MTA family’s thoughts are with the relatives and loved ones of the victims of last night’s tragedy. We are tremendously saddened by this tragic accident, and our thoughts and prayers go out to all of them. We also thank the first responders who assisted with safely removing the passengers from the trains and transporting those who were injured to area hospitals. And we extend our gratitude to the American Red Cross, local hospitals and communities who have provided care and assistance during this difficult time, and Town of Mount Pleasant Supervisor Carl Fulgenzi for making Town Hall available.”

Metro-North Railroad President Joseph Giulietti said: “We want Metro-North’s customers to know that they can remain confident that their safety, and the safety of our employees, is always the first priority in everything we do. We will work closely with the NTSB and local officials to determine the exact cause of this tragedy, and work to ensure such incidents are not repeated.”

For people who had loved ones who may have been affected by the accident, Metro-North has established a family assistance center at the Office of the Westchester County Medical Examiner, 10 Dana Road, Valhalla. Information also is available at 1-800-METRO-INFO (800-638-7646).

Metro-North train service will remain suspended between Pleasantville and North White Plains until further notice due to this incident. Limited bus/train service for Upper Harlem Line customers is available on the website at www.mta.info. As the NTSB announced this morning, the train will remain until the NTSB completes the on-site investigation and the train will then be removed. At that time Metro-North will make repairs and regular service through this area will resume.

As more information becomes available we will notify customers as soon as possible. Please continue to monitor www.mta.info and local media for regular updates.

We appreciate the patience of our customers as we work to recover from this tragedy.

1:03PM Feb. 4: Metro-North Harlem Line train service remains suspended between Pleasantville and North White Plains until further notice due to the train/car collision near Valhalla, the MTA announced Wednesday afternoon.

If at all possible, the MTA recommends commuters work from home or remotely for the time being. Below is further information for Harlem Line customers from the authority:

Limited bus/train service for Upper Harlem Line customers continues to be in effect until further notice. See full details and a new PM bus/train schedule at http://bit.ly/SeCMH3

Please Note:

-Customers are strongly encouraged to work from home if possible or should seek alternate service

-Harlem Line tickets will be cross honored on the Hudson and New Haven Lines -Free parking will be available at Cortlandt Station on the Hudson Line

-Westchester County parking made available on a first-come, first-served basis:

Up to 300 spaces at the County Center near White Plains Station

Up to 50 spaces at the North White Plains Station

-Customers should expect crowded conditions and delays

-Listen for announcements at your station

Metro North officials ask riders to listen for service announcements at Harlem Line stations and monitor Service Status notices for up-to-date service information.

PHOTO: Metro North runs buses for commuters from the northern end of the Harlem Line/MTA

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