Nearly 1/3rd Of Metro North's Fleet OOS

[x635 4,066]

"Flat wheels' deflate train commuters

By CAREN HALBFINGER

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: November 21, 2006)

Metro-North Railroad riders on the Harlem and Hudson lines can expect to stand or consider themselves lucky if they snag a seat for the next two weeks.

Nearly one-third of the passenger cars on the two lines are out of service and won't all be back on track for at least 14 days.

And they can blame the season.

Although it's cool and dry now, last week's rains combined with oily leaf residue to cause train wheels to slip, a perennial autumn problem for this and other railroads. The train's circuitry perceived the slipping wheel as excessive speed and automatically applied the brakes, which caused the wheels to skid, flattening them out, railroad spokeswoman Marjorie Anders said.

When the flat spots get bad enough, the train cars must be taken out of service and the wheels trued, or made round again. Last week, "slip-slide" was to blame for widespread delays. So many flat spots were so severe that 124 train cars are now out of service, even after a weekend spent trying to catch up, Anders said.

"We certainly apologize for the crowded conditions our customers are experiencing,'' she said. "We are fixing it as fast as we can.''

As fast as the railroad can is not fast enough for riders.

"I can't do my job unless I can read the papers in the morning, and I couldn't read the papers this morning,'' said Greg David, a Sleepy Hollow resident who is the editor of Crain's New York Business. "I was really squashed. It's making my morning life miserable.''

Things were no better in Scarsdale, where Margaret Trimarchi insisted her 7:37 a.m. train had half its usual cars. The railroad said it had six instead of eight.

"We're all standing and they're not collecting our tickets,'' said the administrative law judge. "Why didn't they tell riders? I think people would stagger their times so they would get a seat and not be squished like sardines. We need an explanation.''

Trimarchi said she had heard from a conductor that a passenger on one overcrowded train had fainted, but had been held upright by the crowd until the doors opened, at which point he fell to the ground. Anders could not confirm the report or provide any details about it.

"People are being inconvenienced and even hurt,'' Trimarchi said. "I'm not happy.''

To try to save the wheels, the railroad ran trains at slower speeds, apparently in vain.

The railroad can true the wheels of three cars a day at the New Haven yard, and six cars a day at the Harmon yard. That's nine cars a day, which means it will take nearly 14 days to get these 124 train cars back on track. But of course, other problems occur that take trains out of service. The railroad needs 392 train cars to maintain full service on the Hudson and Harlem lines, spokesman Dan Brucker said. For now, it is operating with 268 train-cars. The railroad's newest train cars, the M-7s produced by Bombardier, are the ones with the most flat wheels. These cars operate in pairs, so if one has flat wheels, two go out of service.

The railroad does not yet know how to solve the flat wheel crisis, which is acute this year.

"The M-7 is under intense scrutiny and we're working to fix this,'' Anders said.

The Long Island Rail Road is experiencing the same problem and 20 percent of its fleet is out of service, railroad spokeswoman Susan McGowan said

[IzzyEng4 427]

They go through this every year around this time, its nothing new.

[Oswegowind 17]

My brother in law works at the Harmon Yard...said something about the new m7 train cars having a computerized braking system (ie with anti lock features) so every time a leaf caused a slip the brakes went on slightly and the wheel skidded causing them to go flat...remember...these are not rubber tires with air going flat but metal ones that if flat on one side make for an awful bumpy ride.

[RichC 0]

Been on the train the for over 15 years. Service has gone downhill especially the New Haven line which of course carries the most people. I stand almost every morning. Mon eve stuck in the Grand Central tunnel no light no air no announcement for 40 minutes. You would have thought we were in the middle of nowhere. No plan at all. Like it never happened before.

As always look for another rate hike, cures everything. I guess I should be all thankful they don't go out on strike like their subway brothers did about a year ago.

It actually was a nice way to go to work at one point and the subways were hell but honestly the subways have improved while the train has deteriorated.

[Remember585 815]

Been on the train the for over 15 years. Service has gone downhill especially the New Haven line which of course carries the most people. I stand almost every morning. Mon eve stuck in the Grand Central tunnel no light no air no announcement for 40 minutes. You would have thought we were in the middle of nowhere. No plan at all. Like it never happened before.

As always look for another rate hike, cures everything. I guess I should be all thankful they don't go out on strike like their subway brothers did about a year ago. 

It actually was a nice way to go to work at one point and the subways were hell but honestly the subways have improved while the train has deteriorated.

←

Service is probably worst because they offered their employees a five year contract with no increases. I have to see and hear about it every time I go down Croton Point Avenue and RR workers are out there picketing. Can't say I don't blame them.

[Guest]

Been on the train the for over 15 years. Service has gone downhill especially the New Haven line which of course carries the most people. I stand almost every morning. Mon eve stuck in the Grand Central tunnel no light no air no announcement for 40 minutes. You would have thought we were in the middle of nowhere. No plan at all. Like it never happened before.

As always look for another rate hike, cures everything. I guess I should be all thankful they don't go out on strike like their subway brothers did about a year ago. 

It actually was a nice way to go to work at one point and the subways were hell but honestly the subways have improved while the train has deteriorated.

←

Rich, service system wide is better than it has ever been. The New Haven line suffers slightly due to Connecticut's refuesal to pay 65% of the cost to replace the ageing fleet. (They have now paid and the line will see new MU sets in 2009). The railroad is staffed by (for the most part) great people who care a great deal about thier job. Weather happens, it's unavoidable. We all have to bear with it and know that the railroad will have things back to normal as quickly as they can.

I spend almost 8 hours a week on Metro-North, and considering that many of the cars VERY old, they run ontime almost 100%. They do a great job and infrequently am I inconvenianced during my commute.

[Guest]

Been on the train the for over 15 years. Service has gone downhill especially the New Haven line which of course carries the most people. I stand almost every morning. Mon eve stuck in the Grand Central tunnel no light no air no announcement for 40 minutes. You would have thought we were in the middle of nowhere. No plan at all. Like it never happened before.

As always look for another rate hike, cures everything. I guess I should be all thankful they don't go out on strike like their subway brothers did about a year ago. 

It actually was a nice way to go to work at one point and the subways were hell but honestly the subways have improved while the train has deteriorated.

←

Rich, service system wide is better than it has ever been. The New Haven line suffers slightly due to Connecticut's refuesal to pay 65% of the cost to replace the ageing fleet. (They have now paid and the line will see new MU sets in 2009). The railroad is staffed by (for the most part) great people who care a great deal about thier job. Weather happens, it's unavoidable. We all have to bear with it and know that the railroad will have things back to normal as quickly as they can.

I spend almost 8 hours a week on Metro-North, and considering that many of the cars VERY old, they run ontime almost 100%. They do a great job and infrequently am I inconvenianced during my commute.

[10-Buff-4 0]

Speaking of Connecticut, that's all Governor Rell and the Governor Rowland who did all that. Rowland vetoed bills that woulda rehabbed the system. I've noticed that the New Haven Line is ridiculously overcrowded (going back and forth). I didn't realize the fleet problems were so bad. Wow. The wheel shops must be pretty busy. There are also yards in North White Plains and Southeast, right???