Heavy delays for NJ Transit, Amtrak at NY-Penn Station due to power issues
NJ Transit and Amtrak service into and out of New York Penn Station was facing massive delays Thursday evening after a power issue caused a lengthy disruption heading into rush hour.
All power had been restored around 5:30 p.m., according to Amtrak, with all rail service between New Haven and Philadelphia resuming — but “significant delays” could be expected due to backed up rail traffic and single-tracking, the transit agency said.
Amtrak had previously said the service suspension, which lasted hours Thursday afternoon, was caused to do a “malfunctioning circuit breaker” which caused a loss of power on the tracks between New York Penn Station and Newark Union Station. Amtrak and NJ Transit later said a brush fire in Secaucus had also caused issues for trains.
NJ Transit said service service had resumed just before 6 p.m., with trains on the Trenton and Long Branch lines seen leaving NY-Penn Station by 5:50 p.m. There were still delays up to 90 minutes expected throughout the evening.
NJ Transit said its tickets and passes were being cross honored by NJ Transit, private buses, and PATH at Newark Penn, Hoboken, and 33rd Street.
NJ Transit said there are trains running from Newark to Trenton and encouraged passengers heading south to take the PATH to Newark. Dover and Montclair commuters were told to take the PATH to Hoboken to access their trains.
Some Amtrak trains were terminating at Philadelphia or Newark due to the power issues.
PATH was also reporting “network connection” issues Thursday afternoon at Newark Penn Station leading to delays on the World Trade Center — Newark line, but those were resolved before 5 p.m. and service was reported to be resuming to normal.
Earlier in the week, Amtrak warned the high temperatures the region is facing this could require trains to operate at lower speeds and results in afternoon delays of up to 60 minutes.
Brad Luck, NBC New York
Brad Luck is the director of multi-platform content for NBC New York.