POUGHKEEPSIE – As previously reported in Mid-Hudson News, two of the elevators at the have been out of service for months, creating burdens for passengers, such as those in wheelchairs, in getting from the train platform to the main level of the station.
The elevator serving the station’s two busiest tracks, Track 1 and Track 3, has been out of order for several months, stranding riders who rely on it to travel between the main level and the island platform.
On Tuesday, MTA Spokesperson Laura Cala-Rauch told Mid-Hudson News that repairs will not be made in the immediate future because of construction at the station. “In the short term, we recognize the inconvenience of having limited elevator service while construction is ongoing.” Cala-Rauch, touting the construction, also said: “These beautiful refurbished elevators will maintain accessibility for generations of riders at this station.”
Staff reported being asked to carry wheelchair users down stairs to outbound trains departing from Track 1 and Track 3, which creates serious safety concerns. For inbound trains, conductors notify station personnel if a passenger uses a wheelchair. Staff then try to reroute the train to Track 2, the only track with a working elevator. If that is not possible, conductors are required to carry the passenger and their wheelchair from the platform up the stairs to the main level.
The spokesperson echoed the reports from the conductors, saying that dispatchers are directing additional trains to the track (Track 2) with a working elevator.
An elevator in the station’s parking garage that transports passengers from ground level to the terminal’s main level is also broken. The elevator falls under the responsibility of , a nationwide parking facility operator.
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