NEW YORK — Amtrak and transit agencies in the Northeast have begun making schedule adjustments for Tuesday, Feb. 13, based on forecasts of a major winter storm expected to hit the area.
As of 5:10 p.m. Eastern Time, Amtrak has announced these changes for Tuesday:
— Acela trains Nos. 2163 and 2167 will not operate between Boston and New York; trains 2154 and 2162 will not operate between New York and Boston.
— Northeast Regional train No. 190, which normally departs Washington D.C. at 3:15 a.m., departs New ork at 6:50 a.m., and arrives in Boston at 11:12 a.m., has been cancelled.
— Northeast Regional trains 173 and 137 will not operate between Boston and New York; train No. 172 will not operate between New York and Boston.
— The Vermonter, train No. 56, will not operate between New Haven, Conn., and St. Albans, Vt.
Watch the Amtrak website or Amtrak NEC Alerts social media feed for updated information.
In the New York area, Metro-North Railroad will operate on a modified schedule with changes to morning and evening peak and branch-line service; watch the Metropolitan Transportation Authority website or TrainTime app for details. The Long Island Rail Road is not currently announcing plans for schedule changes, but will be running de-icing trains to keep third rails clear and have crews positioned throughout the system to clear switches and address other issues, such as downed trees or flooding. Diesel locomotives are also being pre-positioned to minimize service impact. Preparations are also being made for the almost 220 miles of outdoor track in the New York City transit subway system. More information on MTA storm preparations is available here.
NJ Transit says it plans to operate on regular weekday schedules “as long as weather and road conditions safely allow,” but cautions that weather contions may require temporary service suspensions and advises custoemrs to monitor the NJ Transit website for the latest information. If the agency shifts to severe-weather rail schedules — a move it will announce through all available channels — those schedules are available here.
CTRail’s Hartford Line and Shore Line East commuter rail routes are currently still planning to operate their regular schedules, but recommend that passengers monitor the websites (here for the Hartford Line and here for Shore Line East) for updates, and allow extra travel time due to potential weather disruptions.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is operating normal rail service as of this evening, except on the Mattapan Trolley line, where buses have replaced trolley service between Mattapan and Ashmont. Plans for Tuesday have not yet been announced, but service alerts and updates will be available here.
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for 1 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, forecasting snow accumulations of 6 to 9 inches and winds gusting to 40 mph in southern Connecticut, northeast New Jersey, and southeast New York. For the Boston area, the Winter Storm Warning calls for 4 to 8 inches of snow with winds to 35 mph.
I do not live in the Northeast or New England, but it is encouraging that NJT, LIRR, CTRail and MBTA are taking a wait and see approach to the predicted weather instead of cancelling trains prior to the bad weather actually impacting operations.