12:30PM EST: A large fire is burning under Metro North’s 138th Street Lift Bridge in East Harlem.
The bridge’s four tracks carry Metro-North trains in and out of Manhattan.
There is currently no Metro-North service at the moment in and out of Grand Central Terminal.
All Metro-North train traffic passes over the bridge on the Harlem River. Like many of the Harlem River bridges, it rarely opens except for periodic testing by the DOT.
The fire is burning through wooden piers in the river, which are intended to keep boats from hitting the station.
A Metro-North official says they will not be running train service over the bridge “anytime soon.”
The railroad will likely set up shuttle service until the bridge is inspected and its structural integrity is confirmed.
UPDATE: More than four hours after a major fire at a New York railroad bridge put the brakes on Metro North commuter train service to and from Grand Central Terminal, all service was restored Monday afternoon, a spokeswoman said.
The regular train schedule resumed about 4:15 p.m., after Metro North inspected the 138th Street lift bridge over the Harlem River and confirmed the signal and power system were functionally properly, said Marjorie Anders, a spokeswoman for Metro North.
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(Source: WABC)
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2 Responses
Wow. Sounds rough.
Near the end, the anchorman says, “That fire looks amazingly strong, I guess you guys have to check to make sure the footings of the bridge are strong after this is all done?” In which, the hesitant reply was, “Uh yes, uh… no? That’s, that’s, uh, that’s correct.” The anchor news woman adds in, “Infrastructure and everything else has to be investigated…” Almost like she’s saying, “Uhhh… yeah!? Duh!”
WHAT DO YOU MEAN, “UH, NO?” You mean, for a second there you guys weren’t going to do it?