Metro-North Passenger Train Derails in Cos Cob, CT

February 2nd, 2011 |

COS COB, CT – A Metro-North passenger train derailed in Cos Cob, CT on Tuesday, February 1, 2011. The northbound train was on its way to New Haven and was carrying about 500-600 passengers at the time.

Metro North Passenger Train

Cos Cob is a neighborhood in the town of Greenwich, Connecticut. Cos Cob is located in Fairfield County Connecticut in the southern part of the state about 2 miles northeast of the town of Greenwich and about 46 miles southwest of New Haven.

The partial derailment happened just before 9 p.m. Tuesday evening on the 8:07 Metro-North Passenger train out of New York City. The train had just left the Grand Central Terminal and was on its way to New Haven when the accident occurred in Cos Cob, just outside Greenwich.

Location of Metro North passenger train derailment in Cos Cob, CT, just outside Greenwich.

The train’s wheels reportedly got caught while attempting to changing tracks at a switch when it went off course and jumped the tracks. The mishap caused all four tracks in the area to go out of service.

Fortunately, no passengers or railroad workers were injured in the incident.

More than 500 passengers were transferred to another train, which took about 90 minutes. An empty train was brought in to take them to their destinations. By about 10:20 p.m., all passengers had been moved from the derailed train.

A wrecker crew was called in to the scene out of White Plains, N.Y. to restore the trains to the tracks.

The incident created a bottleneck and caused delays of 30 to 60 minutes with 5 or 6 other trains along the New Haven line. They were all running with scattered delays as a result.

The Northeast has been experiencing a heavy winter storm, lately, and even though the derailment occurred during a storm, it is believed that the derailment was not caused by the weather. This was according to rail officials from the Metro-North.

New England was gripped with icy conditions on Tuesday. It was expected to get worse on Wednesday because more frozen precipitation was bearing down on the region. The snow, ice and sleet is causing driving conditions to be treacherous.

Published by FELA lawyer Gordon, Elias & Seely, LLP