Amtrak Service to Boston Halted, Trains Searched

NORWALK, CT — This article as posted by Michael Dinan. It was reported and written by Harold F. Cobin, Michael Dinan and David Gurliacci.   

Update 12:58 p.m.:

Amtrak rail service has been suspended indefinitely between Boston and New York as authorities continue the search for bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

The trains are currently operating, however, between Washington, DC, and New York, Amtrak tweeted Friday.

Amtrak has a rail stop that goes through Connecticut into Massachusetts, with stops in New Haven, Wallingford, Meriden, and Berlin.

Police are still conducting a massive manhunt of Tsarnaev, a 19-year-old Massachusetts resident wanted in connection with the Boston Marathon bombing on Monday. 

Update 12:12 p.m.:

A second train was stopped at 9:15 a.m. at the Darien railroad station and searched by Darien police and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Emergency Services Unit, Darien police announced this morning.

Bomb-sniffing dogs were used in the search, which took place in connection with the hunt for one of the Boston Marathon bombers.

Darien police released a statement to the public which said, in part:

"The Darien Police Department has increased patrols at both the Darien and Noroton Heights Train Stations in light of the incidents currently unfolding in Boston, MA. [...] Residents and commuters should expect a heavy police presence at our area train stations and should be prepared for potential train delays.  Thank you for your cooperation."

Original article:

Police in Norwalk boarded an Acela train Friday morning at the South Norwalk train station, hours after authorities in Boston—one terminus for the Amtrak line that runs through Norwalk—search for the second suspect in Monday's marathon bombing. Click here for real-time updates on the search.   

At about 10:30 a.m., Connecticut State Police retracted an alertthat , may be driving a gray Honda CR-V, saying the vehicle had been recovered in Boston.
"All calls regarding this case should be directed to Boston investigators," CT state police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance said in a media release. 

An Amtrak Acela train had been stopped in East Norwalk shortly before 9 a.m. Members of Norwalk Police Emergency Services walked through the train without locating the suspect. The train had previously stopped in Providence, RI, and New Haven and New London. An Acela train that originated in Boston at 6:05 a.m. had been scheduled to come through Norwalk around the time that police boarded the train.

MTA officials at 10:43 a.m. reported that upper New Haven Metro-North Railroad trains are operating on or close to schedule after seeing delays of up to 45 minutes earlier in the day due to the police activity.   

The Hour reports that police after giving the all-clear in Norwalk headed for Darien train station.