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Long Delays Reported As Metro-North Restores Train Service Through Norwalk

NORWALK, Conn. — Metro-North was restoring service along the New Haven Line at about 4:30 p.m. Saturday after a bridge malfunction in Norwalk halted train service through Connecticut for much of the weekend afternoon, according to a statement.

Norwalk's aging Walk Bridge.

Norwalk's aging Walk Bridge.

Photo Credit: Contributed

New Haven Line train riders should anticipate delays of up to 60 minutes due to the earlier incident when the Walk swing bridge over the Norwalk River failed to close properly, Metro-North said. 

Limited train service will be restored, and trains were expected to run on a modified schedule with some tracks out of service, a Metro-North spokesman said. 

As of late afternoon, there was only one track available for service over the bridge, Metro-North said.

Limited service from New Haven to New York/Grand Central Terminal resumed with significant delays. Also, there will be no inbound to New York service at South Norwalk, Rowayton, Darien and Noroton Heights stations. 

Customers should go to Stamford station for train service to Grand Central. There is no Danbury Branch service at this time due to overhead wire damage. 

Customers are urged to seek alternate transportation, and to listen for announcements at the stations.

A Metro-North spokesman said the bridge had been closed properly by late afternoon but it was not known why the problem occurred. 

Earlier in the day, no trains had been able to travel through Norwalk, with all train traffic stopped on either side of the Norwalk River. The problem was first reported via Twitter at about 2:30 p.m. Saturday and continued into the late afternoon.

The Walk bridge, which carries Metro-North, Amtrak and freight trains over the Norwalk River, is nearly 120 years old.

The bridge, which swings open for marine traffic and then closes, has faced “operational issues” in recent years.

The aging bridge malfunctioned twice during daytime rush-hour travel times in summer 2014, failing to close properly and stranding hundreds of Metro-North riders along the New Haven Line and causing delays, complaints and headaches.

The state and Metro-North are considering options for replacing the bridge.

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