Metro-North s Response to Hurricane Irene Chris Bennett, Vice President AECOM Toby Ritz, Chief Engineer MNR Capital Programs New York
The Port Jervis Line Line is operated under a service agreement with NJ TRANSIT; infrastructure repair is MNR responsibility New York State portion is 58.7 miles Predominantly a single track railroad with sections of double track and passing sidings Access to the right-of-way from the road is extremely limited Area of Damage: MP 31 MP 45
Key Issues On August 27-28, 2011: Tropical Storm Irene passed over the lower Hudson Valley of NY Large portion of Metro-North s Port Jervis Line was severely impacted Train service was suspended due to the significant damage in the 14-mile section of the railroad just north of Suffern, NY at MP31 to the Harriman Station at MP45 Disrupted 3,000 commuters It was essential to rebuild Metro-North s railroad as soon as possible!
Coordination Governor Declared State of Emergency Coordinated closely with impacted communities and private property owners Enabled the railroad and contractor to overcome the limited access to the railroad of right-of-way in the area Get the needed personnel and heavy machinery to the impacted areas so that rebuilding could move ahead quickly
Project Goal: Rebuild the Line and restore train service as quickly as possible MTA Chairman acted quickly with policy decisions to expedite rebuilding Invoked emergency powers for the MNR President to contract and procure goods and services for the effort expeditiously Put the full resources of the MTA behind rebuilding the line Began all-agency effort to recover costs incurred from responding to the hurricane through insurance and FEMA Directed MTA CFO to identify funds to pay for the service restoration efforts MNR used these policy decisions to move forward swiftly Dispatched railroad Maintenance of Way forces to make repairs to the line between Harriman and Port Jervis Contracted with AECOM for an emergency condition assessment of the line
Metro-North Response Metro-North hired AECOM: 1.To work closely with the railroad s forces 2.Perform an assessment of the massive damage to the railroad infrastructure 3.Resolve field condition challenges 4.Design enhancements to keep the project moving on an expedited basis
Use of Technology GPS CAMERA TECHNOLOGY 1849.jpg RESPONSIVE: Site Investigation performed less than one week after hurricane LIDAR AND 3D MODELING THOROUGH: Utilizing GPS Technology to deliver accurate, comprehensive data CONDITION ASSESSMENT REPORT: delivered ahead of original schedule MULTIDISCIPLINE PARTNER: Civil, Structural, Rail, and GIS collaboration INDUSTRY LEADING TECHNOLOGY: Used to model infrastructure 3D MODEL: delivered to Metro-North to assist with repairs
AECOM Challenges The Team worked continuously in their efforts to complete: Damage assessment to all elements of the 14 miles of devastated railroad Work together to prepare construction documents, allowing for Metro-North to get a competitive bid to procure an emergency construction contract on an expedited and cost-effective basis
Assessing the Damage Within hours after the storm, MNR began assessing the condition of the railroad from the air and the ground. Catastrophic damage was found in the 14 miles between Harriman and Suffern. Roadbed was washed away in numerous locations and for significant stretches Signal cable was exposed and under water Track was intact but twisted and misaligned Bridge structures were exposed with unknown damage There was significant erosion to the banks of the Ramapo River that abut the railroad right-of-way Limited damage was found in the 45 miles between Harriman and Port Jervis. Train service was inoperable.
The Ramapo River overflowed its banks with enough power to undermine the track MP 43.5 near Arden Station Road overpass one mile east of Harriman Station
MP 33.2 Sloatsburg
Flooding was so severe, certain inspections could not be performed for more than one week MP 33.2 Sloatsburg behind Davis Sports Shop
Some of the damage suggested that culverts should be built to divert future flooding
MP 34.1 - Sloatsburg Track bed was undermined or missing in many areas
Flyover Bridge 38.18
Flyover Bridge 38.03
Damage to exposed parts of railroad bridge structures demanded a complete inspection of all bridges above and below the water line
Track bed wash out
Track bed wash out and exposed cable
Embankment wash out: note C&S boxes
Condition Assessment Results & Recommendations The key findings of the AECOM Condition Assessment: Submitted on September 15, 2011 Half of the area from Suffern to Harriman sustained little or no damage. Bridge inspections performed both above and under water revealed that the bridges sustained some damage although the damage was not as extensive as was originally feared. The signal system fared slightly worse. The from east of Sloatsburg through Tuxedo sustained significant damage.
MNR worked to restore pre-storm train service by the end of 2011 MNR directed AECOM to create a phased rebuilding plan. Phase I included all work necessary to restore full train service on one track between Harriman and Suffern. Work included: Building access roads between the material staging areas and the right-of-way (work began week of September 19) Rebuilding the track bed sub grade Replacing ballast in the washout areas, compacting the track bed and surfacing the right-of-way Critical work on the under-grade bridges and the track slopes adjacent to the river In Phase I, the third-party contractor work was performed with extended hours. Phase I work was scheduled to be completed by the end of the year. At the end of Phase I, full train service was restored on November 28th 2011. Schedule changes for off-peak and weekend service due to single track For Phase II repairs, additional periodic off-peak and weekend train outages with bus substitutions may be required
MNR Forces Begin Repairs Placing sub ballast Placing ballast Stockpiling ballast
Accelerated Schedule Design documents were ready for bid by Oct. 9, 2011. MTA Real Estate negotiated with landowners for access points for workers, heavy-duty machines and material, so several locations could be rebuilt simultaneously. MNR contracted for additional equipment and equipment operators to assist MNR forces in track restoration work. MNR contracted with a third party contractor for access improvements and stockpile work. This work started on September 21, 2011. The amount of material required to rebuild was significant and purchasing began quickly. An estimated 150,000 tons of ballast and other fill material was needed to rebuild the sub-grade track structure and make repairs to the embankment. Contracts were executed with 4 companies to provide ballast and other fill.
Full restoration of the line was completed by the Spring of 2012 Phase II included the work required to finish full restoration of the line with additional flood mitigation to protect this significant investment: The rebuilding of the second track and track bed between Sloatsburg and Hillburn (completed by the end of December 2011). The repair of the signal system from Harriman to Hillburn and returned it to service (completed by the end of November 2011). Bridge repairs (completed by the end of November 2011). Continue to stabilize the river bank along the right-of-way by placing riprap, building slope protections (including a small a retaining wall), and other flood mitigations. Final completion of all in Spring of 2012. On January 15, 2012, train service will return to pre-storm timetable. All work (Phase I and Phase II) was closely monitored both in the field and by senior staff.
Placing rip-rap
Restoring Embankment
Debris Removal
Installing New Culvert
Installation of 3-36 pipes
Protecting and Restoring Signal Cables
Culvert Completed
Bridge 38.03 Backwall Replacement Backwall demolition and another weather challenge
New Backwall
Poured Backwall
38.03 Almost done
Scour Survey at Bridge 38.18
Before and After
Before and After
Before and After
Overview Analysis of Project Goals POST-STORM (SEPT 2011) RECONSTRUCTION (NOV 2011) The reconstruction required the placement of over 100,000 tons of ballast, stone and rip-rap material Installation of numerous culverts Installation and testing of the railroad s signal system Repairs to several railroad bridges, and embankment restoration along over 5,000 feet of the Ramapo River The project team worked around the clock to reconstruct the railroad infrastructure to restore service to the Port Jervis Line in late November 2011 - one month ahead of the planned accelerated schedule and over $10 million below the initial estimates for the storm damage repairs.
Running again! Test Run
Test Run
Service Restored on November 28
First Freight
Track work and rip-rap installation continued for Track 2
Summary Timeline Damage Inspection Complete September 9, 2011 Less than 2 weeks Bid Package Delivered to MNR September 28, 2011 Construction Begins October 12, 2011 Initial Track Service Restored November 28, 2011 Original Planned Track Service January, 2012 Condition Assessment Report Issued to MNR September 15, 2011 Original Plan for Assessment Report to MNR September 28, 2011 Bid Received. Contract Awarded. October 11, 2011
Summary of costs, cost recovery efforts and recognition Overall, MNR spent approximately $30 to $40 Million on providing interim service and rebuilding the Port Jervis Line. AECOM staff continued to support MTA and Metro-North to prepare supporting documentation for FEMA Insurance Claims Metro-North and AECOM received ACEC Diamond Award ACEC National Engineering Excellence Recognition Award
Thank You