Amtrak service suspended between New York City and Albany after "Gaping Hole" opens in NYC garage above Amtrak tracks
The crack was initially discovered in the entrance ramp of the garage Friday, prompting the owner of the garage to alert a city engineer, who then called 911. Another hole was found on a ramp to the lower level.
A gaping hole has opened up inside a Manhattan parking garage that sits directly above an underground Amtrak line, leading to the suspension of service between New York City and Albany.
The owner of a car parked at the privately owned Hudson View Garage on West 51st Street between 10th and 11th avenues shared a photo showing the wide chasm in the concrete floor, offering an unsettling peek at the tracks below, reported the station ABC 7 NY.
To make matters even worse, the parking garage is located on the first floor of a high-rise apartment building.
Officials with the NYC Department of Buildings, FDNY and NYC Emergency Management Department all raced to the scene to conduct an inspection.
Building officials issued a vacate order for the garage, and Amtrak initially planned to install overhead protection above the tracks to keep service going, but all that changed Sunday.
That morning, a second inspection uncovered cracks and signs of deterioration in steel beams below the garage, leading Amtrak to suspend service between NYC and Croton-Harmon on the Empire Line, which terminates in Albany.
Mayor Eric Adams’ office said the city is addressing the situation with Amtrak.
“We will continue to work around the clock to protect public safety and maintain regular communication with riders,” the office said in a statement.
The garage on West 51st Street will remain closed until further notice, making it impossible for customers to retrieve their vehicles parked inside for the foreseeable future.
The building atop the garage was not evacuated because the structural damage was limited to the parking garage.
A source with the Buildings Department said its engineers found no evidence of stability issues in the high-rise, stressing that there is no danger to the public.
Nearby residents expressed concerns about the structural integrity of the high-rise building sitting atop the garage and the Amtrak tracks running underground.
“That makes me really concerned about what is holding up this entire 30-story building,” neighbor Catie Savage told the outlet. “There is just a web of things going on under out feet that we don’t know about.”
https://nypost.com/2023/11/13/metro/gaping-hole-opens-in-nyc-garage-above-amtrak-tracks/