WASHINGTON, DC—Congressman Jim Himes (CT-4) released the following statement regarding the electrical outage along Metro-North’s New Haven line and the resulting lack of service between Stamford and New York City, a key link in the Northeast Corridor and the busiest passenger rail in the country.
“Today’s outage, which could affect travel for several days, underscores the urgent need to invest in our aging transportation and energy infrastructure. Between last year’s power outages that left passengers in sweltering heat, this year’s train derailment caused by unstable rails and loose embankments, and now this wide-scale power outage, it is clear there is more we can and must do to bring our national infrastructure into the 21st Century. Thousands of workers in Southwest Connecticut rely on a smoothly-operating railroad. These kinds of outages and delays are unacceptable and have a real and significant economic impact. Thousands of commuters cannot get to work, costing businesses large, unpredictable losses and likely causing some workers to lose wages. As Congress continues to debate the federal budget, I will continue advocating for robust infrastructure funding that will improve commutes, make commuters safer, and put Americans back to work.”