NJ Transit was operating limited service out of New York Penn Station early Tuesday, a day after a downed wire snarled Amtrak trains between New York and Philadelphia along the Northeast Corridor, the busiest passenger rail route in the United States.
Amtrak announced the downed wire on Monday morning. Amtrak service between New York and Philadelphia was delayed for hours, stranding some passengers aboard trains and in stations on a day when freezing temperatures gripped New York City and Philadelphia.
Amtrak canceled additional trains in Maine, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Washington, citing equipment unavailability. The company said it was too early to determine what caused the wire to fail.
Amtrak said it had restored normal service on Monday afternoon. But NJ Transit, which operates on Amtrak-owned tracks along parts of the corridor, said it would operate reduced service out of New York Penn Station through early Tuesday morning, citing ongoing impacts from the wire failure.
As of 3 a.m. on Tuesday, it was not immediately clear how the delays would affect NJ Transit service during the morning commute.
The cancellations affected commuters returning to work after biting cold winds swept the Northeast over the weekend.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey said in a video posted on social media Monday that the cold weather had affected the overhead rail wires. “We know people are getting stuck in the Newark and Elizabeth area, and that’s unacceptable,” she said.
The delays renewed attention on aging infrastructure along the corridor.
In the video, Ms. Sherrill linked the Northeast region’s persistent transportation issues to delayed efforts to upgrade critical rail connections between New York and New Jersey. She and Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York have sued the Trump administration to restore funding for the Gateway tunnel, a $16 billion project being built beneath the Hudson River.
On Friday, a federal court in Manhattan ordered the Department of Transportation to release the funding. But on Monday, the court issued a temporary stay of its order until Thursday.
Francesca Regalado is a Times reporter covering breaking news.
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