NEWARK, N.J. (WPIX)—
NJ Transit is reporting that all commuter service along the busy Northeast Corridor between Trenton and New York-Penn Station has been restored after being previously suspended due to a transformer fire at an Amtrack substation in New Brunswick early Tuesday morning. Amtrak is also reporting that service between Philadelphia and New York-Penn Station is restored.Although workers have repaired the damage to the transformer fire, which caused a power problem, residual delays are likely to affect the entire morning commute. As well, Northeast Corridor service out of Jersey Avenue Station remains suspended at this time.
NJ Transit trains picked up service again between Trenton and Penn Station at 6:45 a.m.
"Unfortunately, it is going to have a significant impact on the majority of our customers this morning," NJ Transit spokesperson Penny Basset Hackett told PIX11 News. "This is a major incident."
Along with restoration to service along the Northeast Corridor, NJ Transit reports that North Jersey Coast Line and Midtown Direct service have also been restored to/from New York.
The service restoration in an improvement from earlier Tuesday morning, when there was only limited diesel service on the North Jersey Coast Line from Bay Head to Hoboken. Midtown Direct trains were also initially routed to/from Hoboken Terminal, where customers can connect to PATH at no additional charge.
All trains to/from Hoboken Terminal are subject to 10-15 minute delays due to congestion from Midtown trains.
In light of the Tuesday's delays and suspensions, NJ Transit rail tickets and passes are being cross- honored on NJ Transit buses, private carrier buses and PATH trains.
Meanwhile, Amtrak service was restored between between New York City and Philadelphia after previously being suspended.
Repairs are likely to continue throughout the morning to restore service on both Amtrak and NJ Transit's Northeast Corridor.
"Once we have this sort of incident, it takes many, many hours to recover," Hackett continued. "Even if we got service back up by 7:30 a.m., there would still be an impact to our customers."
It is unclear what caused the transformer fire, but it appears unlikely the evening commute will be affected.
For the latest service information on NJ Transit, visit njtransit.com.
Amtrak passenger are encouraged to call 800-USA-RAIL or visit amtrak.com for schedule information and train status updates.
