GREENWICH – The interior elevator at Greenwich Station has been out of service for months, and the contractor who maintains the elevator on behalf of the city and is responsible for the station has been fired for his delayed response, according to city officials.
A timetable for the repairs has yet to be set.
A statement from the city’s Department of Public Works said: “The service company was informed of the elevator problem at the Central Station as soon as the DPW was notified. The service company subsequently had difficulty making adequate and timely repairs and was terminated for poor service quality and work stoppage. A new provider has been ‘onboarded’ and is working in conjunction with ongoing station renovations to return the elevator to service as quickly as possible.”
Another elevator system is still in operation at the east end of the station, along the northbound platform. This elevator can transport people to and from the platforms and to street level, but over a greater distance and with a greater detour via an elevated passageway.
The loss of the main elevator at 22 Railroad Avenue is a serious problem for people with limited mobility who travel by rail, said Alan Gunzburg, a disability advocate.
“This is irresponsible,” said Gunzburg, chairman of the Greenwich First Selectman’s Advisory Committee on People with Disabilities. He said he would like the town council to fix the elevator quickly.
The other functioning elevator in the station, Gunzburg said, is “not the latest and greatest technology.” If the second elevator were to fail, he said, “someone could be stranded on a platform there.”
“For me, this could be a catastrophe,” said the disability advocate.
According to Günzburg, the loss of the elevator in the main terminal is also a problem for people carrying heavy bags or strollers.
The elevator failure, which has been ongoing for several weeks, was recently made public in a radio call-in show with First Selectman Fred Camillo.
The station is currently undergoing a major remodeling project. The Ashforth Company, which owns the property, is building a renovated terminal as well as new retail and dining facilities. The old movie theater on Railroad Avenue was recently demolished as part of the construction.
Kim DePra, a spokeswoman for the Ashforth Company, pointed out that the real estate company is not responsible for the elevator. She said that once the work is completed, the station will offer better traffic flow for rail travelers.
“The City of Greenwich … is aware of the problem and is working to resolve it,” DePra wrote in an email. “Once the renovation is complete, the existing elevator system will be completely replaced and the path from the elevator to the platform will be more direct and visible with the removal of the outdated Conn-DOT/Metro-North ticket and service areas. So we are all confident that things will be much improved after the renovation.”
