Riders avoid Connecticut rail as commutes crawl to NYC
Stamford (AP) — Ridership on the New Haven line of Metro-North Railroad has dropped by half as Connecticut commuters stay home or find other ways to get into New York City to avoid snarled commutes caused by a failed circuit.
The Hearst Connecticut Media Group reports that Metro-North spokeswoman Marjorie Anders says about 19,000 riders are using the New Haven line.
She said during the summer, the railroad and Con Edison ran more trains than usual on the 36 year-old feeder cable as a test to see if it could bear additional load.
Anders said the primary 138,000-volt feeder line was considered safe even if overloaded by rail traffic.
A Con Edison spokesman says the utility has not diagnosed the cause of the electrical failure of the feeder cable in Mount Vernon, north of New York.
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