Amtrak signal problems disrupts train service along Northeast Corridor

One day before Christmas Eve travel rush, Amtrak battled a variety of shutdowns, cancellations and delays on the heavily-travelled Northeast Corridor between New York's Penn Station and Boston on Monday.

An Amtrak spokesman said the issue was related to problems Sunday with damage to overhead power supply lines between New York and Philadelphia's 30th Street Station.

The service announced signal issues had been resolved in a statement released at 2:30 p.m. Monday. However, Amtrak continued to deal with logistic issues related to trains being out of location, leading to additional cancellations and delays along the corridor between Washington and Boston throughout Monday.

“We have canceled select services to minimize delays,” Amtrak had said in the statement released Monday afternoon. “This is an ongoing situation; crews are actively working on resolving this issue. Please note that plans are fluid and may change, and we will notify customers affected as soon as possible. Unfortunately, there is no estimate for the resume of standard operating service.”

The service added that it would “waive additional charges for customers looking to change their reservation during the modified schedule by calling our reservation center at 1-800-USA-RAIL.”

The railroad announced a complete service suspension on the social media platform X at 5 a.m. and then, just before noon, announced that areas along the corridor were operating either on a single track or on two of the four main tracks — all, so maintenance crews could address power-related signal outages.

“The signal issue was resolved earlier today," an Amtrak spokesperson said via email late Monday evening. "We plan to run our scheduled service tomorrow.”

For additional information, Amtrak said customers could follow updates on X or contact reservations at 800-USA-RAIL.

With Nicholas Grasso