September 6, 2019

Buses Required on Waterbury Rail Branch to Accommodate Upgrades

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Metro-North Crews to Make Safety Upgrades to Waterbury Branch From Friday, Evening September 20, Through Sunday, October 6
Buses to Substitute for Waterbury Branch Trains to Accommodate Line Improvements

MTA Metro-North Railroad advises customers that beginning on Friday, September 20 and continuing through, Sunday October 6, crews will be doing prep work to install PTC (Positive Train Control) equipment on the Waterbury Branch.

PTC is a technology designed to reduce the potential for human error that can lead to train-involved accidents. Beginning late Friday, September 20, and continuing through Sunday, October 6, crews will be doing prep work to install a new signal system on the Waterbury Branch; this system needs to be in place in order to make PTC operational.

To accommodate this work, weekday and weekend substitute busing will be provided between Waterbury and Bridgeport after 7:00 p.m. on Friday, September 20, and continuing through Sunday, October 6. Regular train service resumes with the first scheduled train on Monday, October 7.

Service details are below:

Bridgeport-bound: Buses will substitute for all trains weekday and weekend departing from Waterbury, making all scheduled stops to Bridgeport. Buses will operate up to 15-30 minutes earlier than scheduled trains. Customers will connect at Bridgeport to regularly scheduled trains for continuing service to Grand Central Terminal.

Waterbury-bound: Buses will depart from the Bridgeport station and make all regularly scheduled stops to the Waterbury station. Buses are timed to meet scheduled trains, but the trip could take an additional 5-25 minutes, depending upon the destination.

Many Channels for Service Updates
Information about the planned service change noted in this press release, and all planned service changes, is available through Metro-North Railroad’s real-time service information sources:

MYmta app – Customers who use the new, comprehensive MYmta app will see real-time travel information for Metro-North and connecting services all in one place, with push notifications when service is not operating normally. As a caution, trains that start out their trips on time may experience delays en route. The Metro-North Train Time app also remains available for customers to access Metro-North train information.

MTA.info – The rail tab of the “Service Status” box at new.MTA.info is always the definitive source for the latest status for each line, updated every minute. In addition, customers can visit www.mta.info/mnr to see special service notices in the upper center of the page.

Email and text message service updates – Customers are urged to sign up to receive the alerts by visiting MyMTAAlerts.com. To avoid unwanted messages, a user can tailor the messages to the specific branch, and the specific times of day.

@MetroNorth on Twitter – Twitter users can follow @MetroNorth to receive updates of a similar nature to the email and text alerts, shortened to fit Twitter’s format.

The above communications channels can be accessed while at home or on the go. For customers who are located at stations, Metro-North will post the latest service updates on digital signs at station platforms and will make audio announcements over public address systems, and on-board announcements made by train crews.

For those who prefer the telephone, information is available from the Metro-North’s Customer Service Center by calling 511, the New York State Travel Information Line, and saying: “Metro-North Railroad.” For customers calling from Connecticut, the number is: 877-690-5114. Those who are deaf or hard of hearing can use their preferred service provider for the free 711 relay to reach Metro-North at 511.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS
TELEPHONE: (860) 594-3062
FAX: (860) 594-3065
WEB SITE: www.ct.gov/dot