Amtrak restores partial service after overhead wire issues

Amtrak and New Jersey Transit said Penn Station trains have been restored with "limited service," after morning overhead wire damage caused service suspensions on Monday morning.

Amtrak said limited service was restored around 10:30 a.m., but service disruptions remain — with residual delays of up to 60 minutes from Newark into Penn Station expected.

Earlier, New Jersey Transit said the disruptions were all related to overhead wire damage near Newark-Penn Station.

Neither Amtrak nor New Jersey Transit provided details on the extent of that damage — or the cause.

New Jersey Transit service along its Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Lines into Penn Station resumed on a limited basis around 11 a.m., the railroad said on X. The Raritan Valley Line was terminating at Newark-Penn Station.

Amtrak has not said how many of its trains were affected or remain affected by the issue, though around noon, its website showed at least five trains from Philadelphia-30th Street Station to New York Penn Station Moynihan Train Hall were delayed. At least three Philadelphia-bound trains were delayed.

The service disruption impacted all trains on the corridor.

Amtrak apologized "for any inconvenience" caused by "this unexpected situation," in a statement.

The latest service disruptions comes after similar issues impacted passengers this year, including three over a two-week period in late June and early July.

At that time, a passenger advocate said at least some of the service suspensions were the result of "aged infrastructure."

Amtrak's "Gateway Program," a series of infrastructure projects to improve the 10-mile section of rail between Newark and Penn Station, is underway.

"While many improvement projects and state of good repair projects are underway, you can't repair everything all at once and try to operate a system," Bruce Becker, president of the Empire State Passengers Association, said in July.

Amtrak and NJ Transit announced a joint plan on June 27 to investigate the causes behind service disruptions on June 20-21 that affected service at Penn Station, according to Newsday.

After the disruptions, Amtrak issued a statement that it was "communicating directly with customers" impacted by the problems and offering options for rebooking passengers' travel plans.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”