Train service is set to resume on the Waterbury branch of Metro-North Railroad on Oct. 28, starting with the 4:45 a.m. train from Waterbury and the 7 a.m. train from Bridgeport.
Parts of the railroad were damaged in the heavy rain storm on Aug. 18, which caused severe flooding and prompted the Federal Emergency Management Agency to declare Fairfield, New Haven and Litchfield counties disaster areas.
In Seymour, part of the trackbed near the Kinneytown Dam was washed away. Another washout occurred in Beacon Falls.
Also, rain caused a mudslide between the Seymour and Ansonia stations, according to Metro-North Railroad.
Trains were immediately taken out of service. For the last two months, substitute buses have been running in place of trains.
The state Department of Transportation and its contractor, Metro-North, which operates the New Haven Line and its three branches, hired Torrington-based O&G Industries for the repairs.
In Seymour, crews built temporary access roads to carry equipment and materials to washed out areas near the Kinneytown Dam, which had become inaccessible, according to the DOT.
Crew used nearly 7,000 tons of material to fill an 85-foot long area of trackbed that was washed out, the state agency said.
“The damage sustained along the Waterbury branch line was devastating and access to these areas was incredibly difficult,” DOT Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said. “It’s remarkable what crews and contractors have been able to accomplish in two months to get trains running again ahead of our initial timeline.”
Test trains will be running on the Waterbury branch to inspect railroad crossings and tracks in the coming weeks.
Buses will continue operating in place of trains until train service resumes.
