Thousands of Metro-North passengers will have to deal with another day of slow commutes as crews continue to fix elevated train tracks in East Harlem that were damaged by a fire.
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Metro-North said it would operate on an “enhanced Saturday schedule” Thursday, providing about 75 per cent ridership capacity.
The MTA is expecting that service will be restored by Friday morning.
The Tuesday night fire happened at a Park Avenue business underneath the Park Avenue Viaduct, which carries four Metro-North tracks to and from Grand Central. Metro-North crews worked throughout the night, repairing and restoring two of the four tracks for the morning rush hour.
Amid a day filled with headaches for commuters, FDNY officials announced on Wednesday that the cause of the fire was fuel that was accidentally spilled onto a hot generator during a refueling.
Metro-North reported 60- to 80-minute delays out of Grand Central heading into the Wednesday evening rush hour. Train service into and out of Grand Central is being delayed due to the fire.
It has been a rough two days for Metro-North commuters trying to get to and from work after a fire that compromised the safety of train tracks in East Harlem.
New York City fire officials say a fire that broke out beneath elevated train tracks in New York City and disrupted train service for more than 150,000 commuters has been ruled an accident. Following those temporary repairs, Metro-North will perform structural tests, including determining the impact of train movement over the viaduct. Workers have been working with heavy machinery to replace damaged beams that support the train overpass, beams compromised by the intense heat of the fire.
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“We’re still on target for completing these repairs and having full service back for morning rush hour”, MTA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Thomas Prendergast said. The fire started at a garden nursery center located under the elevated tracks at East 118th Street and Park Avenue around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. The city’s Economic Development Corp., which leases the space, said if the fire department’s investigation finds any violations, “we will take swift and appropriate action”.
