Thomas MacMillan File Photo
Two days after neighbors spoke out about disruptive nighttime repair work on the railroad tracks near their houses, Amtrak agreed to suspend operations and confer with the city.
City spokeswoman Jessica Mayorga announced the suspension on Friday afternoon. She said the work stoppage is the result of a Thursday meeting between Amtrak officials and Mayor John DeStefano.
On Wednesday, neighbors on East Grand Avenue and Russell Street met with the mayor and other elected officials to voice their displeasure about night work on the nearby railroad tracks. For months, Amtrak has been working at night on tracks in the Fair Haven Heights neighborhood. Neighbors say the light and noise caused by the work has disrupted their sleep and made their lives difficult.
City, state, and federal officials Wednesday called on Amtrak to work with the community and to mitigate the noise and light emanating from the work site.
On Thursday, Mayor DeStefano met with Amtrak officials. He described the meeting as a “cooperative discussion between the City and Amtrak,” according to a release.
“As a result of the meetings, Amtrak agreed to ‘temporarily suspend work’ while discussions with the City, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro’s office and the community occur,” the statement reads.
Mayorga said she expects the work suspension to last at least through the weekend. She said the mayor’s office continues to communicate with Amtrak to try to resolve community concerns.
Amtrak spokesman Cliff Cole released this statement on Friday afternoon: “After meeting with the Mayor’s office on Thursday, Amtrak has temporarily suspended its rock stabilization work in the Fair Haven area. Our engineering department is working with the city to evaluate next steps in resuming this project.”
On Wednesday, Mayor DeStefano said Amtrak has built some infrastructure on city property without proper clearance. A barrier and fence were recently erected on city property along Russel lStreet (pictured). Mayorga said the mayor’s office and Amtrak are discussing this situation.
Cole declined to say how long the reprieve will last or whether Amtrak will meet with neighbors.
