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Buses To Shuttle Displaced Hudson Line Riders To No. 1 Subway

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Metro-North Rail Road has announced a plan to provide shuttle bus service Monday morning, following a derailment on the Hudson Line in the Bronx that left four people dead.

As CBS 2's Hazel Sanchez reported, service continued between the Tarrytown station on the Hudson Line to the White Plains station on the Harlem Line until 2 a.m., according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

LINKS: Check Traffic | Metro-North Official Site

Beginning at 5 a.m. Monday, Hudson Line service was to be available between Poughkeepsie and Yonkers, and MTA buses will go into service as shuttles between the Yonkers station and Van Cortlandt Park-242nd Street No. 1 line subway terminal until further notice.

Two extra No. 1 trains will run per hour during peak periods, the MTA said.

Hudson Line tickets will continue to be cross-honored on the subway.

Riders should expect crowded trains, officials said.

"I think it's fair to say that tomorrow, people who use this line should plan on a long commute," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at the scene earlier Sunday.

The MTA suggested that many Hudson Line commuters could use the Harlem Line as an alternative, and that people who do not have to travel should telecommute.

"Twenty-six thousand people use the Hudson Line on an average workday, so it's going to be a challenge, to say the least," MTA spokeswoman Marjorie Anders told WCBS 880. "So if you don't have to travel, maybe it's a good day to extend your holiday and not come in, or if you can make your way to the Harlem Line, you should do that."

In conjunction with Westchester and Putnam counties, special parking is also being set up to accommodate additional drivers at the Southeast Station at the northern terminus of the Harlem Line, at Kenisco Dam close to the Valhalla station.

The Kenisco Dam site will open at 5 a.m. Monday for parking, according to the office of Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino.

Metro-North customer representatives will be on hand to help customers who might get confused.

As CBS 2's Hazel Sanchez reported, travel time was already extended for riders who planned to take the Hudson Line Sunday night. Collin Smith was heading back to school in Poughkeepsie, and with no train to get him there, he had to take a shuttle bus in White Plains to the Tarrytown station.

"It's inconvenient, but it's a tragedy what happened, and I'm glad just that they were able to figure out a way to get people to where they've got to go," Smith said.

Grand Central Terminal travelers such as Makenzie Hayes were trying to take the travel glitch in stride.

"From where I live to here is a six-hour journey, so I really don't want any extra time on it," said Hayes, of upstate Camden.

"We went over to the north White Plains train station, and it's 15 extra minutes," added Jennifer Church of Sleepy Hollow. "Not nearly as inconvenienced as everybody on the trains, so we're dealing."

Ruby Daniels was having trouble dealing at Grand Central after spending a pleasant Thanksgiving in Jersey City. She said getting home to Poughkeepsie Sunday night was just too much for her to handle.

"I'd rather just go back to Jersey and wait and see what happens," she said. "That's what I'm doing. Me and my daughter are going back to Jersey."

Meanwhile as of early Sunday evening, cranes and heavy equipment were being put in place to remove the derailed train. The process was expected to continue through the night.

Four people were killed, and more than 60 were injured, in the derailment near the Spuyten Duyvil station around 7:20 a.m. Sunday.

An estimated 26,000 people use the Hudson Line on an average workday.

Customers were advised to keep track of the latest updates at http://www.mta.info.

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