The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is set to get $200 million in the first round of federal reimbursement for Superstorm Sandy, which cost the agency some $5 billion, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday.
Metro-North Railroad was hit with some $200 million in damage from the storm and will receive $14.9 million to help cover some of its preparation, emergency response, and service restoration costs.
“Metro-North is the largest commuter railroad in America, and its actions to protect its fleet and restore service after the most devastating storm in its history were critical to New York’s recovery from the storm,” Cuomo said in a statement.
The reimbursement includes some $3 million to repair a total of 24 rail cars and locomotives damaged by flooding and some $720,000 to remove fallen trees along its tracks. In addition, an estimated $2.7 million of the payment will cover repairs on the Connecticut portion of the New Haven line, officials said.
The federal aid also includes:
$141.6 million for New York Transit City Transit, which will use $17.9 million of that to rebuild the subway line in the Rockaways
$20.9 Million for Long Island Railroad
$3 Million for Bridges and Tunnels
(Tony Balassone, a Metro-North Railroad track supervisor, on Oct. 31 checks Cortlandt tracks covered in debris washed up from the winds and water surge from Superstorm Sandy. Joe Larese/The Journal News)
1 Comment
This is welcome news for Metro-North. They are a good railroad with usually good service. But let’s hope they are able to begin planning for the next Hurricane Sandy type event and avoid having as much damage as they have before.