M.T.A. Seeks $65 Million for Cost of Tropical Storm Irene Last Year

By MATT FLEGENHEIMER

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said Monday that it had submitted claims to recover $65 million in losses resulting from Tropical Storm Irene, which a year ago felled trees onto the tracks of its commuter rails, flooded train yards and prompted an unprecedented pre-emptive shutdown of the subway system.

The claims include $27.7 million already approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the authority said. Most of the additional claims are to insurers, which have already paid the authority $5 million.

“M.T.A. employees in the field worked tirelessly, both to minimize damage in preparing for the storm and to make the repairs needed to restore service as quickly as possible,” Joseph J. Lhota, the authority's chairman, said in a statement. “Then their unsung administrative counterparts stayed on top of the myriad paperwork in order to expedite our reimbursement. Completing this massive task in less than a year is a testament to their dedication.”

The authority claimed $14 million in lost revenue as a result of suspending service on New York City Transit for the first time; another $8 million was claimed to account for overtime costs during preparations for the storm, which hit Aug 27, 2011.

Metro-North Railroad was the hardest hit of the authority's transit arms, suffering “catastrophic washouts” on the Port Jervis Line and a series of mudslides on the Hudson Line, the authority said. On the Port Jervis Line, the Ramapo River flooded miles of track and “left some dangling in mid-air when it receded,” the authority said.

Metro-North is claiming about $27 million in losses.

The authority also claimed nearly $9 million in losses from its bridges and tunnels division, citing a steep drop in traffic across all services, among other factors. Tolls were also suspended periodically “to assist residents w ho were ordered or chose to evacuate,” the authority said.

Long Island Rail Road suffered $5.7 million in damages, the authority said, including revenue lost from its systemwide shutdown.