Structural problems at a parking garage in New York City have created a commuter headache for Amtrak passengers traveling between the Big Apple and Albany.
Service was disrupted on Sunday afternoon after officials discovered a number of "structural issues" at the garage on 10th Avenue in Manhattan. Amtrak's Empire Line, it turns out, runs underneath the garage.
The garage's owner contacted an engineer on Friday about a hole in the entrance ramp of the parking garage, a Department of Buildings spokesperson told News 4. Officials from the DOB, FDNY and NYCEM were subsequently brought to the scene to inspect the issue.
DOB officials issued a vacate order of the garage and Amtrak planned to install "overhead protection" above the tracks below to keep operations running normally. That only lasted until Sunday.
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By that morning, installers alerted DOB to more structural defects in steel beams. The additional cracks and deterioration discovered on Sunday proved to great a safety concern and prompted a suspension of the Empire Line between New York City and Albany.
Amtrak released the following updates to the day's schedule:
- Trains 290 and 48 will be combined to travel as one train.
- Trains 64, 68, 284 and 290 are cancelled south of Croton-Harmon, NY (CRT); customers will have their tickets cross-honored by Metro North between CRT and NYP.
- Trains 49, 283 and 291 will now originate at ALB.
Travelers impacted by Sunday's suspension have the option to use their tickets on Metro-North between Croton-Harmon and NYP.
News
The MTA said the Hudson Line of Metro-North was not being impacted by the ongoing issues. It was not clear on Sunday evening how long the suspension would last.
