Thursday, July 23, 2015

Trains resume service into New York after power problems



NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - 

For the third day in a row, Amtrak power problems on Wednesday delayed thousands of commuters from getting to and from New York City.

New Jersey Transit, which was forced to suspend service in and out of the city because of overhead wire problems, apologized on Twitter to riders, saying the "quality of the commute last few days has been unacceptable, we share your frustration." The transit agency said it had "contacted Amtrak at highest levels seeking solution."

A power outage around 5:45 a.m. Wednesday affected both tubes of the 105-year-old Hudson River Tunnel, some station tracks and portions of Sunnyside Yard in Queens, Amtrak spokesman Craig Schulz said in an email.

The problem persisted in the south tube, meaning trains had only one track available.
Power was restored by 7:45 a.m. and NJ Transit rail riders faced delays of up to 90 minutes.

There were delays on the Northeast Corridor on Tuesday when a signal problem in the Princeton area slowed trains.

A disabled train in one of the tunnels and overhead wire troubles caused delays in and out of Penn Station on Monday night when the heat and humidity made it feel like it was over 100 degrees in parts of the New York metropolitan area.

Commuters were already stewing after NJ Transit's board on July 15 approved raising fares for bus and rail riders by about 9 percent starting in October.