@andrewleray via Twitter
The crowd at Grand Central grows as a signal problem caused all Metro-North trains to halt.
Metro-North Railroad commuters faced a hellish ride home Thursday night as a giant signal snafu left them stranded at stations and stuck on trains for two hours before service was finally restored.
Three of the five lines on the problem-plagued railroad system Hudson, Harlem and New Haven ground to a halt because the main rail control center at Grand Central Terminal lost electricity, officials said. Amtrak service was also affected.
David Wexler for New York Daily NewsA Metro North bulletin board updates commuters about suspension of service.
Electricians scrambled to hook up temporary power to the main computer system, accomplishing the feat at about 9:30 p.m., as weary passengers waited out their misery.
Every train on the tracks was directed to go to the nearest station or stop before the nearest interlocking junction about 7:45 p.m. -- and they were still idle an hour later.
David Wexler for New York Daily NewsAn exhausted commuter reaches out to loved one during the suspension of service.
We were about five minutes out of the station, and we just sat there, said Jason Scott, who was headed north to Croton-on-Hudson on the 7:25 p.m. express train before he got stranded at the Harlem 125th St. stop. Outgoing trains had to reverse course and back into the station.
(The workers) just kept saying, We dont know anything, sorry for the inconvenience, Scott recalled.
Ken Murray/New York Daily NewsCommuters get settled in as they wait for service to resume.
A railroad spokesman couldnt say how many trains were on the Harlem, Hudson and New Haven lines, or how many passengers were affected. The trains had electricity and heat, but some chilled commuters said the doors kept opening and closing while they were stalled.
It was tense and uncomfortable, griped Katie Dalton, 19, who was also stuck in Harlem.
Anthony DelMundo/New York Daily NewsA Metro-North train at Spuyten Duyvil station.
RELATED: METRO-NORTH RIDERS STRANDED FOR TWO HOURS IN COLD
Inconvenienced travelers poured into Grand Central, where they commiserated over the standstill.
Eric Barrow/New York Daily NewsFrustrated commuters jam Grand Central Terminal Thursday evening after a signal problem stopped trains from going in or out of New York's busiest train terminal.
Its a computer glitch -- cant they just reboot the system? asked Henry Fulgente, 22, who was trying to get back to Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, Westchester County. They should have been better prepared. How about a backup system?
Others took to Twitter to empathize with commuters and one got in a dig at the governor of New Jersey for another recent transportation nightmare.
Eric Barrow/New York Daily NewsThe board at Grand Central station where a signal problem stopped trains from going in or out of New York's busiest train terminal.
Did a Christie aide just say time for train delays? #metronorth, wrote user Nick Friese, poking fun at Gov. Chris Christie for his underlings shocking text message that revealed intentional lane closures and traffic delays on the George Washington Bridge as political retribution.
Another Twitter user wrote, Good god Metro-North, what the hell happened to you?? You used to be the best of NYs commuter RRs; now you make the LIRR and NJT look good.
The signal snag is the latest in a string of major problems for Metro-North, which is under increased federal scrutiny because of a series of accidents last year, including a train derailment in December that killed four riders.
Stan Kolbasiuk, who was heading to Stamford, Conn., before getting stranded at Grand Central Thursday night, said the railroad needs to get back on track.
Im a pretty patient guy, but all of the screw-ups this year and last year are too much, said Kolbasiuk, 54, who tried to take the latest foul-up in stride.
I went to have a drink, he said. What are you going to do? You dont have a choice but to wait.
clestch@nydailynews.com
Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/metro-north-railroad-standstill-power-glitch-shuts-control-center-article-1.1589754
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