New Electrical System Has Tram Working, but Not Yet Open

The Roosevelt Island Tramway has been operating in test runs without any problems since workers replaced its primary electrical system this month, a spokesman for the tram's operator says, with officials hoping to take a step this week toward reopening it for regular service soon.

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, which runs the tramway, is scheduled to meet with its board on Thursday, when it will explain the repairs and discuss its next steps. Then the board may decide to ask the State Department of Labor to inspect the tramway, which must give its approval before the tram can reopen to commuters.

No one would estimate just how soon that might happen. Robert Lillpopp, a spokesman for the Labor Department, said that state officials wanted to make sure the tramway had a backup system in place in case there were ever another shutdown like the one that left some commuters hanging above the East River for nearly 12 hours last month.

"We want to do what we can to open the tram, but we want to make sure we don't open it before it's safe," Mr. Lillpopp said.

The tramway is still working to completely replace the diesel-powered backup system, which is designed to get the gondolas back to the station in an emergency, said Bob Liff, a spokesman for the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation.

"We have been talking to the Department of Labor, and they will come out and conduct the tests they deem necessary when we report to them that we believe the tram is ready to resume operation," Mr. Liff said.

On April 18, 68 people were trapped after the tramway's primary electrical system failed. The diesel-powered backup system also failed. In the end, rescue workers had to ride out on the lines in an emergency cage and finally on a crane to bring all of the riders to safety.

Operators have tried 400 test runs since the 30-year-old tramway broke down. All the runs failed until the primary electrical system was replaced, Mr. Liff said. Since then, every test run has been successful. Tramway workers are examining the old system, which was installed in 2001, to determine whether a wiring problem caused the tram to stop.

Whatever the problem, Joyce Mincheff, a longtime Roosevelt Island resident who has been using the tramway since it opened, said she was hoping for an announcement that operations were about to resume. She said residents had had a hard time getting around, especially late at night, without the tram.

A private bus that operates on Roosevelt Island taking commuters to Queens and the Upper East Side has expanded its service, but Ms. Mincheff said the system was far from perfect. The bus runs every half hour during peak commuting times and every hour otherwise but ends at 11 p.m.

Although the F line runs to Roosevelt Island, she said the lack of a direct connection to the Lexington Avenue line made subway travel inconvenient for many.

She said the limited transportation had been particularly hard on the island's school-age students, 65 percent of whom attend school in Manhattan and used the tram to get to their buses. In addition, more than 400 employees, students and faculty members at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center live on Roosevelt Island and use the tram to get to work.

Years ago there was a ferry that ran to and from Roosevelt Island, she said, adding that the island clearly needed the ferry service again, not as a replacement, but as a backup to the tramway. The subject of ferry service, as well as other alternative transportation, is likely to come up during Thursday's meeting, Mr. Liff said.

"What happened is a catalyst to speed up those conversations," he said.