"I think it's fair to say that tomorrow, people who use this line should plan on a long commute or plan on using the Harlem line,'' Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at a news conference Sunday.
Earl Weener, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, said at the news conference that the agency expects to be investigating at the scene of the derailment for a week to 10 days. After documenting the condition of the cars and other components of the scene, "We will then turn the rail over to Metro North who will then ... get the line back in operation.''
It was unclear when that would be, leaving potentially thousands of commuters to ponder how they would get in and out of New York City at the start of the work week.
STORY: Commuter train derailment kills 4 in NYC
Mark Gausepohl, an architect who lives in Ossining, 20 miles north of the derailment, and works in Manhattan, said that if the wreck isn't cleared by Monday morning, he'll have to drive to another train line to get to work. That would add at least 20 minutes each way to his 45-minute commute to Manhattan's Grand Central Station.
He said Metro-North service is "generally reliable," but he was concerned that there have been two other derailments this year. "It's troubling that Metro-North is having these problems,'' he said. "Either it's a bad coincidence or a sign of a weakening infrastructure."
Mary Kelly, who lives in Peekskill, 30 miles north of the derailment, and works as an office manager in Manhattan, said that if the tracks aren't cleared, her morning commute may be about an hour longer if she can take the train only as far south as Tarrytown, then take a bus to another train line.
"You know, I used to get annoyed when the train was late," she says, "I never thought it would crash and kill people."
The Hudson Line is th! e least busy of the three Metro-North train lines that carry passengers into Grand Central Station. Still, on a weekday, it ferries thousands of passengers, many of whom trek into New York City for work but call the more affordable suburbs to the north home, said Aaron Donovan, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
On Sunday, service on the other two Metro-North Lines that head into midtown Manhattan were not disrupted by the accident.
"The service is normal on both of those lines, and I haven't seen any reports of delays as a result of this derailment,'' Donovan said.
There are reports of four fatalities in the Metro North train derailment near Spuyten Duyvil Station in the Bronx, N.Y. Authorities are also reporting more than 60 injured. Robert Deutsch, USA TODAYFullscreen
Commuters, who were on a train that derailed in the Bronx borough of New York, are seen after being rescued. Timothy Clary, AFP/Getty ImagesFullscreen
The scene of the early-morning Metro North train derailment in the Bronx, N.Y. along the Hudson River. Robert Deutsch, USA TODAYFullscreen
Sephen Geraghty, Chief of Special Operations Command, FDNY boards one of the derailed Metro North cars near Spuyten Duyvil Station in the Bronx. Robert Deutsch, USA TODAYFullscreen
Injured people are treated near the site of the derailment. Craig Ruttle, APFullscreen
First responders work the scene of the Metro North train derailment near Spuyten Duyvil Station, Bronx, N.Y. Robert Deutsch, USA TODAYFullscreen
First responders gather around the derailment of a Metro North passenger train in the Bronx borough of New York City. Craig Ruttle, APFullscreen
First responders gather at the derailment of a Metro North passenger train in the Bronx. Craig Ruttle, APFullscreen
A person is evacuated from the scene of the derailment. The Fire Department of New York says there are "multiple injuries" in the train derailment, and 130 firefighters are on the scene. Craig Ruttle, APFullscreen
A Metro North locomotive lies on its side after derailing in the Bronx. The train derailed on a curved section of track, coming to rest just inches from the water and causing multiple fatalities and dozens of injuries, authorities said. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) ORG XMIT: NYML101 Mark Lennihan, APFullscreen
A Metro North passenger train lays on it's side after derailing in the Bronx. Mark Lennihan, APFullscreen
First responders at the scene of the Metro North train derailment. Rick Hampson, USA TODAYFullscreen
Five of the southbound train's seven cars derailed on the train that originated at 6:54 a.m. in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Robert Deutsch, USA TODAYFullscreenLike this topic? You may also like these photo galleries:Replay
AutoplayShow ThumbnailsShow CaptionsLast SlideNext SlideAmtrak, which shares tracks with the crippled Hudson Line, briefly suspended its service between New York City and Albany, but it resumed service shortly after 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
"With a lot of people trying to get home after the Thanksgiving holiday, the trains we were scheduled to operate were almost all sold out, so you're talking about thousands of people looking to travel on Amtrak,'' said Amtrak spokesman Clifford Cole.
Metro-North began running bus service on Sunday for stranded passengers, allowing them to take a bus from Tarrytown, on the Hudson Line, to White Plains, where they could pick up a Harlem Line train headed to New York City.
Those who would have caught Hudson trains further down the line, such as near Yankee Stadium, were encouraged to hop on the Harlem Line instead or to use the subway or local bus service to travel into Manhattan.
The train that derailed on Sunday was carrying between 100 and 150 passengers, Donovan said, "people hoping to enjoy the day in the city'' along with those who may have been visiting family in the Hudson Valley for Thanksgiving and were heading back home.
During the week, the Hudson line f! erries su! burban commuters traveling from as far north as Poughkeepsie to their jobs in Manhattan, as well as those doing a reverse commute from New York City to jobs in the Hudson Valley.
"If this had been a work day, if this was in the middle of the week, you would have had hundreds and hundreds of people on that train,'' New York Gov. Cuomo told CNN. "So it could have been much much worse.''
Contributing: Bob Minzesheimer
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