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UPDATE Second Incident Reported at Spuyten Duyvil Railroad Bridge, Delaying Thousands of Commuters

 

A PASSENGER SHIP hugs the bridge as it passes the Spuyten Duyvil Creek and enters the Hudson River on Friday, April 26, 2024.
Photo by David Greene

For the second time in six days, thousands of Amtrak riders were delayed or left stranded as problems were reported at the Spuyten Duyvil Railroad Bridge that connects The Bronx with Inwood in Manhattan, carrying trains over the Spuyten Duyvil Creek, where the Creek meets the Hudson River.

 

In the latest incident, the bridge which opens up to allow boats traveling along the Harlem River into the Spuyten Duyvil Creek to access the Hudson River and visa versa, was stuck in the open position for nearly three hours on Friday, April 26.

 

When contacted, Jason Abrams, a public relations manager at Amtrak, said, “There was a mechanical issue that left the bridge in the open position, as it was unable to close.” Abrams continued, “Crews were able to slowly close and lock the bridge in place.”

 

Abrams told Norwood News that trains were delayed by between 8 minutes and 3 hours. He added, “One train wound up terminating in Poughkeepsie and another in Yonkers.” The malfunction was reported at just before 11 a.m. and the issue was resolved by 2 p.m.

THE SPUYTEN DUYVIL Railroad Bridge was struck in the open position for two hours delaying or stranding Amtrak riders on Friday, April 26, 2024.
Photo by David Greene

When Norwood News asked Abrams about an earlier second incident reportedly involving a boat crash at the bridge, he replied, “On [Saturday] April 20, a 15-foot fishing boat struck the base of the bridge. All train and marine traffic was put on hold until the bridge was inspected and cleared. There was no damage to the bridge.”

 

Abrams added that train delays relating to the boat accident ranged from between 38 minutes and “less than 2 hours.”

 

As the bridge was stuck in the open position on April 26, a female resident walking along Palisade Avenue by Half Moon Overlook park, pointed to a barge and crane stationed beside the bridge and said, “They were lucky the crane was already there so they can work on it.”

AMTRAK REPAIR CREWS gather on the Manhattan side of the Spuyten Duyvil Railroad Bridge after the bridge malfunctioned and was stuck in the open position for three hours on Friday, April 26, 2024.
Photo by David Greene

The resident added, “The crane and the barge and all that stuff has been there a few weeks.” When told of the problem and delay, the woman responded, “Oh really? Oh well, my wife took it this morning. Hopefully it’ll be okay this evening.”

 

When a second female resident standing with a group of other residents was told of the earlier April 20th incident, she asked, “What happened? A ship hit it?” She added, “That’s the first time I’m hearing that.”

THE SPUYTEN DUYVIL Railroad Bridge is seen stuck in the open position after a malfunction on Friday, April 26, 2024.
Photo by David Greene

The “turntable” Spuyten Duyvil Railroad Bridge was built in 1900, and was recommissioned in 1991 when the “West Side Connection” began service, transporting passengers from Manhattan along the Hudson River. It terminates in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

 

The Spuyten Duyvil Bridge is used by Amtrak to reach Penn Station. According to Amtrak, approximately 500,000 passengers a day pass through New York Penn Station, which serves the Long Island Rail Road, New Jersey Transit, and Amtrak intercity trains. Together, these agencies operate over 1,000 weekday trains at Penn Station.

 

According to Amtrak, the Empire ServiceEthan Allen ExpressAdirondackMaple Leaf and Lake Shore Limited Amtrak services all use the Spuyten Duyvil Rail Bridge. An Amtrak spokesperson said, “In Financial Year 2023, those trains had a combined ridership of 2,161,566 regardless of origin or destination. Amtrak doesn’t stop at the nearby Spuyten Duyvil Station.”

 

In other Amtrak news, its representatives said it has recently added more departures for weekday roundtrips and weekend services to its Northeast Regional service.

 

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to clarify that the referenced delays involved the Amtrak service, rather than the Metro-North service. We apologize for the error. 

 

 

Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.

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