Metro-North Responds To Friday Heat Problem Outside Westport

WESTPORT, CT (WCBS 880) - For passengers traveling on a Metro-North Railroad train outside of Westport, Connecticut on Friday, high temperatures spelled doom when the overhead wires overheated and tangled with a power arm on the train.

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Power was shut down, some riders called EMS complaining of heat exhaustion, and passengers complained conductors were giving them no information.

"The conductor, who is responsible for keeping the passengers informed, may not have known himself how long it was going to take. In fact, we did not know how long it would take to get the train untangled and re-energized," says Metro-North spokesperson Margie Anders.

In all, passengers were stranded for less than an hour before the lines were untangled and power was restored.

Anders says work is under way to replace the aging overhead wires that do not expand or contract in the weather.