Amtrak service partially suspended due to unsafe structure above tracks, officials say

Amtrak service continued to be partially suspended Monday after an unsafe parking garage structure above tracks halted trains between Manhattan and Croton-Harmon.

Officials did not have an estimate when full service would be restored, but officials said Monday afternoon that Amtrak had restored partial service from Croton-Harmon to Albany.

Metro-North and LIRR trains were not affected by the suspensions on the underground tracks that run along the West Side of Manhattan, MTA officials said.

Amtrak announced Sunday night that service was suspended “due to safety concerns stemming from structure issues of a non-Amtrak, privately-owned building above the Empire tracks.”

Passengers were advised to take alternate trains on Metro-North from Grand Central Terminal, where tickets would be honored.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that service was suspended after concerns were found at a privately-owned parking garage on West 51st Street located directly above Amtrak lines.

“As soon as the city became aware of the issue, [New York Building Department] engineers quickly began assessing the situation, working with Amtrak teams and other city agencies to ensure the safety of passengers and pedestrians,” Adams said. “Emergency work orders were quickly issued so the parking garage owners could begin addressing the issue.”

A message seeking comment was left Monday with the owner of the parking garage, Lineage Ventures LLC.

Amtrak said they would waive additional charges for passengers who needed to change reservations on modified departure times or for another day. Reservations can be changed by calling 800-USA-RAIL.

City officials said neighboring buildings including a public high school are not affected by the structural problems at the West 51st Street parking structure.

New York City officials stepped up the inspection of parking garages after a three-story parking structure in lower Manhattan collapsed in April, killing one worker, injuring several others and crushing dozens of cars.

With AP

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.