NEW YORK Amtrak’s service between Croton-Harmon and New York City is still stopped as of Tuesday.
Authorities claim that an unstable parking garage on West 51st Street in Hell’s Kitchen is the sole cause of the issue, which began on Sunday.
Train riders who are now stranded and drivers who are unable to reach their cars are both losing out in this scenario.
READ MORE: Amtrak service between Albany and New York City is temporarily suspended
Nearly 100 cars are locked in the sealed parking garage; Amtrak crews and contractors entered the structure on Monday night.
Driver Adam Larson said, “You read that notice from the buildings commissioner and, God, it’s going to be murder.”
When Larson arrived late on Friday to get his vehicle from the Icon lot off of 10th Avenue, the DOB gave him a vacate order. Automotive entry or exit prohibited.
“After years of parking there, all of a sudden, it is no longer permitted in one day. It’s off-limits entirely,” Larson declared.
The structural damage to the garage, which is located above the Amtrak tunnel, is rather severe, as evidenced by photos that CBS New York was able to obtain.
Train tracks below are visible through a hole in the parking garage.
According to the Department of Buildings, the property owner’s hired engineer made a 911 call on Friday. Two holes were later discovered by the DOB and Amtrak engineers: one on the ramp leading to the lower level and another on the entry ramp.
“I’d rather not be sorry than safe. Thomas Ellis, a train passenger, stated, “I wouldn’t want to lose her if we had been on that train and it collapsed.”
