MTA Metro-North begins Port Jervis line rehab

Vigorously affirming its commitment to repair the damage to its Port Jervis Line Inflicted by Hurricane Irene last month, MTA Metro-North Railroad Thursday publicly heralded the beginning of construction work on the line in Orange County, N.Y., while unveiling limited service restorations involving shuttle bus service, to commence Monday, Sept. 19.

Metro-North will resume train service between Port Jervis, N.Y., near the Pennsylvania border, and Harriman, N.Y., short of the New Jersey state line. Shuttle bus frequencies will bridge a 14-mile rail gap, victim of widespread flooding washouts, between Harriman and Ramsey/Route 17, N.J., where New Jersey Transit service will be available to Hoboken, N.J. (NJ Transit trains reach as far north as Suffern, N.Y., but Suffern is not as easily accessible by highway.)

Ridership on the Port Jervis Line prior to Hurricane Irene’s impact Aug. 28 averaged 2,300 trips per day, a small amount compared with other, more robust Metro-North services, particularly east of the Hudson River. Metro-North’s replacement bus service, put in place immediately after the hurricane last month, is averaging about half that number.

The relatively low ridership prompted some to question the cost-effectiveness of restoring the Port Jervis Line, but Orange County, N.Y., officials defended the line, saying the county’s tax contribution to MTA was made in good faith. Metro-North P resident Howard Permut, appearing on TV and on radio Thursday, insisted the railroad would not abandon the rail line.

TV coverage showed numerous trucks delivering dirt, ballast, and other items to sites along the right-of-way requiring complete rebuilding. Damage is estimated to be at least in the “tens of millions” of dollars, though specific numbers were not offered.

Permut could not offer a completion date for restoring the line, noting numerous bridges and the signaling system needed repair and identifying 50 points along the right-of-way where track had been undercut, or simply removed, by flood waters, mostly near Sloatsburg, N.Y, just north of the New Jersey border.

“It is an all-hands-on-deck effort and all Metro-North departments are involved in the tremendous effort to get train service back on the Port Jervis Line, and I’m proud of the work our people are doing,” Permut said.