(The Associated Press circulated the following article on August 16.)
GARRISON, N.Y. — Metro-North Railroad service on the Hudson Line between Garrison and Peekskill was scheduled to run as normal during Tuesday’s morning rush — a day after rains washed out the ground beneath a stretch of tracks and suspended service.
Amtrak, which runs on the same track, planned to offer limited service between Albany and New York despite the repairs made to the tracks Monday.
Metro-North spokesman Dan Brucker said earth, ballast and heavy stones on which the tracks sit washed out around 8:30 a.m. Monday, leaving a 25-foot stretch of tracks suspended about 15 feet in the air. A rain torrent coming from a nearby mountain washed the ground out.
Commuters were ferried by bus between the two Hudson Line stations. Route 9D, which runs parallel to the tracks, also was closed for a time due to the heavy rain, resulting in delays of more than an hour for commuters during the Monday morning rush. The route was closed at South Mountain Pass in Philipstown but reopened around 11 a.m.
Workers were able to repair the damage to the earth beneath the tracks by Monday night.
“Now we’re looking at a normal rush-hour commute with both tracks back in service,” said Brucker.
Amtrak’s limited number of trains were to make all stops and be subject to speed restrictions along portions of the route, said Sarah Swain, an Amtrak spokeswoman.