3 replies to this topic

[CNJRoss]

Trains News Wire

 

Downed catenary halts Amtrak and commuter service between New York and Philly

 

By Trains Staff | May 23, 2024

 

Delays are expected to continue today from the roughly five-hour outage that began on Wednesday evening

 

Amtrak and commuter service between New York and Philadelphia was suspended for hours at the height of the evening rush hour on Wednesday after catenary came down in Kearny, N.J.

 

Service between New York and Newark, N.J., was initially suspended at 5:05 p.m., prompting backups that cascaded along the Northeast Corridor. An Amtrak spokesman told the New York Times that some northbound trains bound for New York were terminated in Philadelphia, where passengers had to find their own alternate transportation.

 

Limited service was restored around 10 p.m. “As of 10:34 p.m. ET, due to downed power lines east of New York (NYP), trains experienced extensive delays. As crews work to restore power, trains are single tracking and will experience residual delays throughout the night,” Amtrak said in a service advisory.

 

 

Continue here.  

[CNJRoss]

WABC-TV, New York, NY 5/23/24

 

Gov. Murphy calls Amtrak, NJ Transit suspensions 'an unmitigated disaster' in blistering letter

 

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Rail service in and out of Penn Station is back to operating close to schedule with residual delays following earlier Amtrak overhead wire issues.

 

Downed power lines put a stop to evening travel for both Amtrak and NJ Transit trains on Wednesday evening, leaving some commuters stranded for hours.

 

SNIP

 

In a letter to Amtrak on Thursday morning, Gov. Phil Murphy called the train suspension "an unmitigated disaster during the rush hour commute ... these delays are not only an inconvenience - they are incredibly disruptive."

 

He also called for a meeting with Amtrak "within the next few days to work on next steps on a comprehensive emergency management plan."

 

 

More here.  

[CNJRoss]

NorthJersey.com, 5/23/24

 

Gov. Murphy sends scathing letter to Amtrak after 'disaster' rush hour commute

 

Gov. Phil Murphy sent a scathing letter to Amtrak following the extensive disruption of rail service in the Metro New York area Wednesday evening and the warning of potential delays and cancellations during the Thursday morning commute.

 

"This morning I sent a letter to Amtrak regarding yesterday's incident where a complete system failure caused disaster during the rush hour commute in the NJ-NY region," Murphy posted on X, formerly Twitter. "As Governor, I refuse to accept these Amtrak infrastructure challenges as an inevitable part of operating integrated mass transit systems. Amtrak must immediately address equipment vulnerabilities and updated emergency management plans."

 

SNIP

 

Gery Williams, executive vice president of service delivery and operations at Amtrak, apologized to customers and addressed Murphy's letter in a statement.

 

"We hold ourselves to a high standard in terms of the reliable service we provide our customers and the customers of our commuter partners, who deserve better than their travel experience yesterday evening," said Williams, who also thanked Murphy for his support and commitment. "An investigation continues into the cause of yesterday’s incident. We will implement any changes to avoid a similar incident like yesterday from happening again."

 

 

More here.

[KevinKorell]

CBS New York, 5/24/24:
 

 

  Amtrak power outage "an unmitigated disaster," New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy says. Here's what started it.   

 

 

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy called the power outage that brought Amtrak and NJ Transit to a halt for hours "an unmitigated disaster" in a harsh letter to Amtrak's chairman Thursday, as rail delays continued.

 

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