MTA To Begin 'Reduced Winter Schedule" Monday [Update]

Given  what they are calling the "dire" situation on the New Haven Line due to weather conditions and equipment problems , Metro-North Railroad has announced a  "New Haven Line Reduced Winter Schedule," effective Feb. 7 through March 4. This schedule reduces weekday peak morning and evening service by about 10 percent, according to the MTA website.

"Significant car shortages due to record-breaking amounts of snow and extreme cold have forced us to operate all our trains with fewer than scheduled cars," MTA President Howard Permut said in a statement on the company website. "We have also had to cancel trains which exacerbate the problem and reduce the reliability of your commute."

Perlmut said on a daily basis as many as 40 percent of New Haven Line cars are out of service.

MTA also announced a Sunday schedule will be in effect both Saturdays and Sundays beginning Feb. 5.

In developing this reduced schedule, MTA said  it  considered a number of factors, including the number of cars available for service, ridership patterns and our ability to operate the new schedule reliably. 

The reduced winter schedule is available on Metro-North's schedules page in the interactive schedule and in PDF form, and on Metro-North Train Time . You can also contact our Customer Information Center at 212-532-4900.

The New Canaan branch  has had more than its  train   during the storm, and a when repairs were being conducted after the train was removed. No one was injured in either event.

In a Letter to the Editor posted on Patch on Jan. 25, Brian B. Mitchell talked about the  service -- even before the storms added to the problems.

"Irrespective of the current cold weather and equipment breakdowns, passengers using the New Canaan branch during rush hour periods consistently experience overcrowding (standing room only), last minute track changes at GCT in the evening, badly planned scheduling and lack of equipment," he wrote. "For many passengers, these issues plague the morning commute and the evening commute."

(Editor's Note: The headline on this article was changed. The MTA schedule changes begin next Monday, Feb. 7 -- not during the weekend.)