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Service suspensions at NY’s Penn Station snarl commutes yet again
By
Brittany Kriegstein
and
Louis C. Hochman
Published Jun 21, 2024
Modified Jun 21, 2024
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Drew Angerer/Getty Images
By
Brittany Kriegstein
and
Louis C. Hochman
Published Jun 21, 2024
Modified Jun 21, 2024
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New York’s Penn Station was in chaos for the third time this week after all rail service in and out of the station was suspended during prime commuting time on Friday morning, NJ Transit said.
Service in and out of Penn Station had resumed around 10:30 a.m., albeit with 45-minute delays, NJ Transit said in a post on X.
Midtown Direct service was still being diverted to Hoboken, the company said.
NJ Transit alerts on Friday morning blamed Amtrak for “overhead wire issues.” But Amtrak also said via X that all of its rail service between Philadelphia and New York was being delayed or modified because of a disabled commuter train in New York.
NJ Transit said all rail tickets and passes would be cross-honored by its own buses and private carrier buses as well as on the PATH service at Newark Penn Station, Hoboken Station and 33rd Street in New York. It was also directing customers to its options for alternate service.
A spokesperson for Amtrak was not immediately available to comment on the snafu, which came after an already messy week: A meltdown at the transit hub on Thursday afternoon left commuters packed and stranded for hours as they tried to get home, and a disabled train slowed travel late Tuesday morning.
According to the transit agencies, overhead wire issues were the root causes of both issues Tuesday and Thursday. A brush fire in northern New Jersey on Thursday afternoon added to the difficulties of keeping trains running.
Some of the wire issues could be related to this week’s excessive heat, which can cause the overhead lines to sag.
But problems with Amtrak service were even percolating on May 22, when service suspensions resulted in hourslong delays. In response, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy sent a letter to Amtrak asking to meet, leading both sides to pledge they would communicate better in the future without offering specifics about when customers might see the changes.
In a press conference this week, Murphy called Tuesday’s service meltdown “unacceptable” and pledged to look into it.
Tagged
new york city
new jersey
manhattan
transportation
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Louis C. Hochman
After about two decades in (mostly) New Jersey-focused commercial print, digital and digital-but-radio-adjacent news, Lou stumbled into member-supported news in early 2021, as the editor and CEO of Montclair Local. There, he (hopes he) expanded enterprise, brought more sophistication to digital storytelling and moved the nonprofit newsroom closer to long-term financial sustainability. He helped lead the Local to its fourth consecutive General Excellence award from the New Jersey Press Association — the NJPA's highest honor with judges noting the paper's work to strip away layers of government opacity, to hold power to account, to make news accessible for more members of the community, to share the stories and concerns of more facets of the community and to tell compelling stories across multiple media. He's excited to continue the same ethic — news as a public service — at NYPR as the New Jersey and suburbs editor, drawing on the extraordinary talents of reporters including Karen Yi and Nancy Solomon. Lou lives in Philly (that commute!) with his partner and their two cats, about whom and about which he speaks incessantly.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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