CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NEWS RELEASE 2800 BERLIN TURNPIKE P.O. BOX 317546 NEWINGTON CONNECTICUT, 06131-7546

FOR RELEASE: May 29, 2014

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

An Explanation For This Morning’s (Thursday, May 29) Delays

To Our New Haven Line Customers:

The significant delays that you experienced during this morning’s commute were caused by a mechanical problem on the Walk Bridge near South Norwalk.

The gear failure on the bridge occurred during overnight testing of the bridge at around 3:30 AM; this prevented us from closing the bridge over which New Haven Line trains must cross between East Norwalk and South Norwalk.

The testing is performed as part of Metro-North’s proactive effort to safely maintain and operate the bridge.

As our emergency crews worked to correct the problem, we quickly established a   limited shuttle bus operation between East Norwalk and South Norwalk for westbound customers.

This failure also forced us to temporarily suspend eastbound service from Stamford.

As trains originating in New Haven were not able to operate past East Norwalk, this resulted in delays and crowded conditions between Stamford and Grand Central Terminal.

Temporary repairs to Walk Bridge were made shortly before 9 AM and we were able to re-establish train service, although delays remained through the morning period because of heavy train congestion.

An investigation into the cause of this failure is underway.

This bridge is 118-years old; however, the State of Connecticut has invested more than $1.5 million in recent years to improve bridge reliability.

We regret any inconvenience you may have experienced as a result of this Walk Bridge problem.