After Amtrak outage, NJ Transit resumes NY Penn service with major delays

James M. O'Neill and Lucas Frau, NorthJersey.com
Updated ·2 min read

Amtrak lost power on its Northeast Corridor line between Philadelphia and New Haven, Connecticut during Thursday evening's sweltering rush hour, also causing NJ Transit to suspend its service in and out of New York's Penn Station for a time.

NJ Transit said that rail service in and out of New York's Penn Station has resumed and was subject to up to 60-minute delays because of Amtrak's power issues.

Amtrak said around 5:20 p.m. that it had restored power on the tracks between New York Penn Station and Newark, but that significant residual delays are expected on the Northeast Corridor. And by 5:30 all rail service has resumed between New Haven and Philadelphia, with significant delays.

It said that it initially had to single-track its trains, meaning that the trains can only use one track, not both. That severely impacted how many trains can move through the corridor because only one train can travel at a time.

An Amtrak spokesperson said Thursday evening that the power outage was caused by a catastrophic breaker failure at Sub 42, a substation directly west of the Hudson River tunnel portals, and that Amtrak was still investigating what caused that.

More: Another summer of hell for riders? NJ Transit, Amtrak repair aging system

Amtrak said all tracks are back in service by 6:30 p.m. and that they were restoring full service Thursday night.

NJ Transit Midtown Direct trains are no longer being diverted to Hoboken. However, NJ Transit rail tickets and passes are still being crossed-honored by NJ Transit and private carrier buses and PATH at Newark Penn, Hoboken and 33rd Street, New York. Customers should visit njtransit.com/ABC for alternate service information.

Things were clearing up at Newark Penn Station Thursday by 8:30 p.m., one of the stops along the Northeast Corridor.

Many riders were frustrated but resigned, and said the extreme heat only exacerbated their irritation.

NJ Transit and Amtrak riders suffered extreme heat and long delays at Newark Penn Station Thursday after a power outage hit Amtrak's Northeast Corridor line between Philadelphia and New Haven, Connecticut.
NJ Transit and Amtrak riders suffered extreme heat and long delays at Newark Penn Station Thursday after a power outage hit Amtrak's Northeast Corridor line between Philadelphia and New Haven, Connecticut.

Kayla Davidson was among those who waited in Newark Penn Thursday night. She had traveled from Baltimore to visit a friend in New Jersey, and said that her train to Secaucus was supposed to have arrive din Newark by 7 p.m. but was delayed at least an hour.

NJ Transit said a large brush fire in Secaucus complicated efforts to repair Amtrak wire problems.

Amtrak said its customers with reservations on affected trains would be accommodated on trains with similar departure times or another day. Amtrak will waive additional charges for customers looking to change their reservation during the modified schedule by calling our reservation center at 1-800-USA-RAIL.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: After Amtrak outage, NJ Transit resumes NY service with delays