The slide occurred around 9:45 a.m. Saturday and blocked all four tracks of the Metro-North Railroad near the Scarborough station in the village of Briarcliff Manor. As a result, there is no service between Tarrytown and Croton-Harmon stations, according to Metro-North Railroad.
Travelers taking trains south of Tarrytown are advised to use the Harlem Line.
But no one north of Tarrytown can’t travel to and from New York City by train. Amtrak and Metro-North had no estimates as of Sunday afternoon as to when the tracks would be cleared.
According to Metro-North, there is limited hourly service between Grand Central Terminal and Tarrytown and limited hourly service between Croton-Harmon and Poughkeepsie. It also said there would be “very” limited bus service replacing trains between Tarrytown and Croton-Harmon for affected customers; This transportation plan is expected to last at least through the weekend.
There are no train or bus services at Philipse Manor, Scarborough and Ossining stations. Customers at these stations are advised to visit Tarrytown Station for rail service to Grand Central Terminal or Croton-Harmon Station for rail service to Poughkeepsie.
It’s unclear how long it will take to remove the remains of the slide, which happened after heavy rains hit much of the Hudson Valley.
The National Weather Service said less than a half-inch of rain fell in the slide region from Friday night into Saturday morning, which is not an unusual amount. But in September, the weather service recorded 10.45 inches of rain near White Plains, meteorologist James Tomasini said.
The Journal News reported that the mudslide occurred at the end of Country Club Lane South, which is west of Sleepy Hollow Country Club. The land gave way and a stone retaining wall broke apart and was thrown onto the tracks below. Drone photos shared by Metro-North show the extent of the damage from the mudslide – it almost reached the foundation of the home where the slide occurred, and a rear stone patio was visibly cracked.
Metro-North spokesman Aaron Donovan said crews worked overnight into Sunday, removing mud and breaking up rocks and the broken rock wall that bordered the property before inspecting and repairing the affected tracks as well as the third rails power the trains, restore them.
“The furthest path was the least affected and the one closest to the mudslide was the most affected,” Donovan said. “At this point I don’t know when we’ll get the first of these titles back, which is the most important piece of the puzzle.”
Early Sunday, Amtrak released details of the impact on its services – including the cancellation of the Empire and Lake Shore Limited lines. Here are the details from Amtrak. A spokesperson said on Sunday that this was the latest update to the service:
• Empire Service:
– 233, 244, 280, 241, 259, 261, 253, 250, 260, 240, 238, 256 are deleted
– 284 will only operate between Niagara Falls, NY and Albany, NY
– 281 and 283 will depart from Albany, NY
• Maple Leaf Service:
– 64 will operate between Toronto, Ontario. and Albany, NY
– 63 will originate in Albany, NY
• Ethan Allen Express
– 290 and 291 only operate between Burlington, Vt. and Albany, NY
• Lake Shore Limited Service:
– 48 & 49 stamped
– Routes 448 and 449 only operate between Albany, NY and Boston.
• Adirondacks
– 68 and 69 operate between Montreal, Que. and only Albany, NY