Morning Chaos on the Hudson. Following a day with temperatures in the 40's and 2" of rain, the Hudson River rose rapidly Thursday night/Friday morning with heavy ice flows. This resulted in 8 boats/barges breaking free from their docks in the Troy area early in the morning on Friday 1-25-2019. The run away vessels created issues between Troy and Albany as bridges were closed while the vessels flowed down river unattended during the peak of the morning commute. While most barges were low enough to flow under Amtrak's low Livingston Ave Bridge, the cruise ship Captain JP III was too tall and wedged under the bridge. The swing portion to the left was open but that was not the path most of the unmanned boats took. After inspecting the bridge, Amtrak moved traffic at reduced speeds until the cruise ship could be towed away later in the afternoon.
The GE Genesis series are well known for being Amtrak's locomotive. With confirmation of retirement from Amtrak themselves, their time is limited. Now is your chance to catch them before the chargers arrive!