Power Outage and Brush Fire Cause Major Delays at NY-Penn Station

NJ Transit and Amtrak faced extensive delays on Thursday evening at New York Penn Station due to a power outage.

The disruption began in the afternoon when a malfunctioning circuit breaker interrupted power between Newark Penn Station and Newark Union Station and a brush fire in Secaucus.

Amtrak reported that power was restored around 5:30 p.m., allowing rail service between New Haven and Philadelphia to resume.

However, the transit agency warned of ongoing delays due to backed-up rail traffic and single-tracking operations.

NJ Transit announced the resumption of service just before 6 p.m., with trains on the Trenton and Long Branch lines departing from NY Penn Station.

Passengers were advised to expect delays of up to 60 minutes throughout the evening.

To accommodate affected travelers, NJ Transit implemented cross-honoring of tickets and passes on various transportation options, including private buses and PATH services.

Commuters heading south were encouraged to use PATH services to Newark, while those bound for Dover and Montclair were directed to Hoboken.

Due to the power problems, some Amtrak trains were forced to terminate their journeys at Philadelphia or Newark.

The disruptions occurred during a week when Amtrak had already cautioned about potential slowdowns and delays due to high temperatures in the region.

Earlier this week, Amtrak wire issues caused another transit disruption.

On Tuesday night, commuters faced delays as long as 90 minutes, and some lines were completely suspended on Tuesday and Wednesday.

In response, Governor Phil Murphy expressed his dissatisfaction with NJ Transit and Amtrak leadership and stated that his office is actively investigating the series of disruptions.