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Metro-North trains between Danbury and South Norwalk will be suspended until March 21, after a washout Monday morning left 120 feet of track dangling in mid-air near Bethel, the railroad announced on its website Tuesday.
The washout also affects commuters on the New Haven Line, as 25 rail cars were stored in the Danbury Yard on Sunday night and have been stranded. Sunday's heavy rains washed the foundation out from under 150 feet of railway. Crews have to build a new road to access the damaged stretch.
Buses will replace train service on the Danbury branch until repairs can be made. According to Metro-North's website, buses will operate according to regular train schedules, with the following exceptions:
For the 6:49 a.m. train from Danbury, bus service will be provided from Danbury, Bethel and Redding, and will connect with a train departing Branchville at 7:10 a.m.
The 5:10 p.m. train departing Grand Central is canceled. Customers should take the 5:26 p.m. train to South Norwalk for bus service.
The 5:16 p.m. shuttle from Stamford is canceled. Customers traveling from Grand Central should stay on the 4:15 p.m. train to South Norwalk, and customers boarding at Stamford should take the 5:10 p.m. train from Stamford to South Norwalk. Bus service will operate from South Norwalk to Danbury.
The 5:50 p.m. train departing Grand Central is canceled. Customers should take the 5:57 p.m. train from Grand Central to South Norwalk for bus service.
The 6:28 p.m. train from Grand Central will operate to Branchville, where customers for Redding, Bethel and Danbury may transfer to bus service.
The 7:43 p.m. shuttle from Stamford will not connect with 6:55 p.m. train from Grand Central. Customers should take the 7:05 p.m. train from Grand Central instead and connect to bus service at South Norwalk.
Customers on the New Haven Line should expect crowded conditions because some rail cars are out of service. Commuters taking buses should anticipate delays of up to 15 minutes.
Metro-North was set to resume regular service Monday after weeks of running a reduced schedule due to storms. It had originally announced that the Danbury Line would only be down for Monday and Tuesday.
How does the Danbury Line being down affect your commute? Sound off in the comments below.
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