The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Commuters undaunted by New York subway bomb
Commuters heading into New York City Tuesday morning on Metro-North trains can expect to see more security in light of the Monday morning bombing beneath Times Square — including police and military with high-powered weaponry — but they should expect to get there on time.
Metro-North officials said no delays are expected.
A day after a pipe bomb exploded in a crowded subway corridor, sending rattled rush-hour travelers fleeing into the streets, Connecticut commuters will board Metro-North trains into the city as they do most days — without giving it a second thought.
“Unfortunately, it’s part of life nowadays,” said Kenneth Martin, who boarded a Manhattan-bound train Monday at the central Greenwich station shortly after the 7:20 a.m. explosion, which officials are calling a terror attack. “We need to be diligent and exercise caution. But at the same time, people around here aren’t going to change how they act, how they think or how they do things.”
Travelers at the busy South Norwalk station watched TV news reports about the attack while they waited for their trains, which were running on time into Grand Central Terminal even as two of New York’s busiest subway stations just blocks away were being evacuated.
“It’s very concerning, but unfortunately this is the world we live in,” said Norwalk resident Karen Halloran, who was heading to the city to meet friends. “I’m still going today. I think security will be tight and I do feel safe.”
Jim Cameron, founder of the Commuter Action Group and Hearst Connecticut Media transportation columnist, said it was unlikely Metro-North trains would have been delayed by the explosion.
“This is like the new normal of our era,” he said. “We really just have to continue doing what we’re doing. It’s really nothing within our control beyond the constant admonition, ‘If you see something, say something.’ Commuters are increasingly good at doing that.”
Authorities identified a suspect in the attack, 27year-old Brooklyn man Akayed Ullah, who they say was inspired by the Islamic State, but had no direct ties with the terrorist group.
The former cab driver and Bangladeshi immigrant, who police say strapped the bomb to his body, was one of four injured in the explosion and was being treated at a New York hospital for burns to his hands and abdomen. Investigators said Monday it was not clear if he set the bomb off intentionally or prematurely. The three others were only slightly wounded.
The explosion, which occurred in an underground passageway at 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues, triggered a massive emergency response by police and firefighters both above and below ground, tangling subway and bus service at the nearby Port Authority bus terminal.
Though security was heightened around 42nd Street and at Grand Central Terminal, with delays on subway lines and closures on major roads, commuters at Metro-North stations in Fairfield County seemed undeterred.
“I thought it would be hectic, but it’s not that bad. We’re going in the opposite direction (of the explosion) once we get there,” said Joe Rios, 39, who was heading from the Stamford Transportation Center to his job at the Plaza Hotel on 57th Street. The Stamford man helps manage the hotel’s annual meet-and-greet with Santa.
“I’ve gotta get into the city,” he said. “Can’t keep Santa waiting.”
He was about to board the 10:05 a.m. express train with co-worker and fellow Stamford resident Carmary Barrera, 25, who was also determined to get to work.
“Manhattan is such a big place, the odds are slim to none it would have happened where we’re going,” she said.
Pamela Ostertag, 50, a teacher from Darien, was at the Stamford station with her daughter, Madeleine, 18, who was waiting on a delayed Amtrak train to Washington D.C. to get back to Georgetown University.
“It’s 15 minutes delayed, and we’re wondering if it’s because of this,” Ostertag said. “When this first started, you would avoid places, but what can you do?”
At the Danbury station, Raffy DeRas, a sophomore at Western Connecticut State University, said the bombing just adds to the anxiety many now feel about traveling.
“It’s sad, but that’s the way it is these days,” he said. “You can’t just go outside anymore. You have to always look around and be aware of your surroundings. You just never know when something is going to happen. Unfortunately, that’s become today’s reality.”