New Jersey commuters face PATH, NJ Transit delays for morning rush into NYC
New Jersey commuters faced PATH and NJ Transit delays for the morning commute Thursday into New York City.
NJ Transit posted on social media shortly after 7 a.m. warning customers of delays into Penn Station. The delays started at 20 minutes but were then bumped up to 30 for the morning rush.
NJ Transit blamed the problem on "an Amtrak switch issue and track maintenance near Elizabeth, N.J."
Shortly after 8 a.m., PATH trains were also suspended due to some kind of "track condition" at Grove Street. The suspension was lifted by 9 a.m., but the residual delays lasted another hour.
2nd day of issues on Amtrak operated tracks
Amtrak work also caused delays and disruptions for Long Island Rail Road commuters trying to get to Penn Station on Wednesday morning.
The LIRR said 43 trains were delayed, five were canceled and six were diverted.
"What took place this morning was unacceptable, it should not happen and cannot happen again. Tens of thousands of Long Island Rail Road customers were inconvenienced this morning," LIRR President Rob Free said Wednesday. "Unfortunately, what we've seen is the result of poor maintenance practices by Amtrak."
Amtrak said crews were doing work on a line outside the East River tunnel overnight, and the repairs were not done by the morning rush.
"The work went over the outage period as we are still completing repairs. We apologize for the inconvenience to Long Island Rail Road passengers," a spokesperson for Amtrak told CBS News New York.
The disruptions come as Amtrak prepares to repair two of the four tubes in the East River Tunnel that were damaged by Superstorm Sandy. Amtrak says it needs to fully close both tubes for 13 months each, but Gov. Kathy Hochul and the MTA are calling on Amtrak to rethink the plan and avoid a complete shutdown.
