WASHINGTON -- Amtrak may resume service between New York City and Boston on Friday if commuter rail tracks damaged by Superstorm Sandy are repaired in time, Joseph Boardman, the railroad's president, said late Thursday.
Boardman was still waiting for confirmation from officials for Metro North, the commuter railroad that owns the damaged tracks Amtrak uses in Connecticut, that the tracks will be ready, he told reporters in a conference call. But he added: "Right now we're anticipating we'll have access to it."
There has been no service between New York City and points north this week. Limited service between the city and points south resumed Thursday, and limited Washington-to-New York service will be available Friday, Boardman said.
"We're getting this railroad back together," he said.
The storm flooded two train tunnels under the Hudson River and four under the East River. One Hudson River tunnel and three East River tunnels were reopened Thursday after the water had been removed, Boardman said.
Boardman said he has also had discussions with Marc Laliberte, the president and chief executive of Via Rail Canada in Montreal, about borrowing trains for Amtrak's New York state service. If that can be arranged, it would free up other Amtrak trains that could be sent to hard-hit New Jersey to provide commuter service, he said
The discussions were ongoing and no decision had been reached, Boardman said.
"We're looking for ways to help," he said. "We intend to be a major force to deliver mobility back to the Northeast."
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