Sloatsburg — Just in time for the dark early mornings and frosty breath, commuters can give a little cheer with their morning coffee. The Metro-North Port Jervis Line is set to re-open for service on Monday, November 28, which means no more bus and no more fuss for the approximately 2,300 daily train passengers from Port Jervis to Sloatsburg.
“We’re so happy that they’re ahead of schedule,” said Sloatsburg Mayor Carl Wright, of the MTA’s construction efforts. With the village train station shut down for nearly three months, local commuters on the Port Jervis Line have had to bus hop to make connections to the Ramsey/Route 17 station, or drive to Suffern for service. “People who have to go to New York for work or want to go for entertainment will be very happy to have the train up and running,” said Wright.
Rail lines from Tuxedo through central Sloatsburg were swamped by Ramapo River flood waters during Tropical Storm Irene at the end of August. Tracks were twisted in some sections and entirely washed out in others. Nearly 14 miles of train tracks along the Port Jervis Line suffered significant damage, causing an estimated $30-40 million in cost of repairs, substitute bus service and lost revenue. An engineering assessment by AECOM determined it would take nearly 150,000 tons of stone to shore up the train track beds and river bank along the stretch between Suffern and Harriman. Pearl River-based Halmar International won the $10.5 million construction contract from MNR for emergency track repair.
Although service resumes, commuters should expect longer run times as only one of the two tracks between Suffern and Sloatsburg will return to service, with inbound/outbound trains on the line sharing the one track in that section. Metro-North expects service to return to its pre-storm schedule on January 15, 2012.
Continuing rail work along the line includes stabilizing the river bank and right-of-way, building retaining walls, and additional flood mitigation. The estimated completion for the additional work is June 2012.
In all, 26 daily trains and 14 weekend trains will return to service.
The MTA has made adjustments to its holiday transportation schedule in anticipation of heavy Thanksgiving weekend use. Expect a more flexible Port Jervis Line bus schedule for “Black Friday” traffic around the Woodbury Common outlet center, from Friday, Nov. 25, to Sunday, Nov. 27, to allow buses to make their train connections in Ramsey/Route 17. Passengers may experience delays in travel time.
MTA Regular Schedule Adjustments for November 28 and beyond include:
— Port Jervis Line trains may experience longer route times due to speed restrictions for tracks between Harriman and Suffern.
— Customers using the Hudson Line can use their November Hudson Line monthly from any Port Jervis Line station for the last three days of November.
— Ramsey/Route 17 November monthlies will also be good for any Port Jervis Line.
— Customers who purchase a December monthly Port Jervis Line ticket can ride free the last three days of November.
— The 9:20 AM weekday inbound train from Port Jervis to Hoboken will operate 26 minutes earlier. It will now depart 8:54 AM.
— The 8:21 AM weekday outbound train from Hoboken to Port Jervis will operate 17 minutes later, now departing Hoboken at 8:38 AM.
— The 9:30 AM weekend train departing Hoboken for Port Jervis will be held for 20 minutes between Salisbury Mills and Campbell Hall to allow an eastbound train to pass.
For full details, pick up a November 28 timetable at Hoboken, New York-Penn Station or Secaucus. Or visit one of these: MTA or NJ Transit.
Source: MTA
