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“Today’s outage, which could affect travel for several days, underscores the urgent need to invest in our aging transportation and energy infrastructure," said U.S. Rep. Jim Himes (D-4th District). "Between last year’s power outages that left passengers in sweltering heat, this year’s train derailment caused by unstable rails and loose embankments, and now this widescale power outage, it is clear there is more we can and must do to bring our national infrastructure into the 21st century.
"Thousands of workers in Southwest Connecticut rely on a smoothly-operating railroad. These kinds of outages and delays are unacceptable and have a real and significant economic impact. Thousands of commuters cannot get to work, costing businesses large, unpredictable losses and likely causing some workers to lose wages.
"As Congress continues to debate the federal budget, I will continue advocating for robust infrastructure funding that will improve commutes, make commuters safer, and put Americans back to work.”
Metro-North is the busiest passenger rail in the country.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) also criticized the train service.
“Investment in safe, reliable rail is key to the growth of our regional and national economy. Whether it is service disruptions due to power failures, weather or catastrophes such as the Bridgeport derailment, we must invest in robust, redundant systems to ensure that our rail system runs on time, all the time," Blumenthal said. "Service disruptions like the one this morning will be increasingly frequent and severe if the nation fails to make necessary investments. Such delays and disruptions cannot be allowed to become the new normal.”
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