NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – Amtrak service between New York City and Albany should be fully restored this week, Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday—two days after structural issues at a Manhattan parking garage led to a partial suspension of the rail line, which runs right under the garage.
Amtrak's Empire Service between Penn Station and the Croton-Harmon station in Westchester was halted Sunday after the structural problems were discovered at the garage below a residential high-rise tower at West 51st Street and 10th Avenue in Hell's Kitchen.
Amtrak said passengers traveling between New York and Croton-Harmon should take Metro-North from Grand Central Terminal. Metro-North has been cross-honoring Amtrak tickets.
Adams told reporters Tuesday that officials believe partial service will return Thursday before a "full return to service by Friday."
It was a significant update from Monday, when an Amtrak spokesperson said the railroad didn't know when full service would return.
According to sources, the city was first made aware of the structural issues at the garage on Friday after receiving a 911 call from an engineer contacted by the property owner.
Engineers from Amtrak and the Department of Buildings found two small holes—each inches in length—on the entrance ramp of the garage, as well as on a ramp to the lower level, the sources said.
DOB issued a vacate order for the garage, and the engineers determined overhead protection could be installed above the tracks as repairs were done on the garage above.
However, as the overhead protection was being installed Sunday morning, Amtrak workers came across additional structural issues at the roof of the tunnel below the parking garage, and DOB engineers were called back to the scene to investigate. The DOB engineers found additional structural defects, including cracked and deteriorated steel beams, the sources said.
DOB and Amtrak engineers determined it wasn't safe to run trains on the two Amtrak lines, and service was temporarily suspended between Penn Station and Croton-Harmon until repairs could be made.
According to the sources, the structural defects are contained to the area below the parking garage and none of the neighboring buildings are impacted.
The Department of Buildings database shows a partial vacate order remained in effect at the address on Tuesday.
The city stepped up inspections of parking garages after a garage at 57 Ann St. in the Financial District partially collapsed on April 18, killing a worker, injuring five others and crushing dozens of cars.