Updated: NJ Transit Restores Rail Service To/From New York

New Jersey Transit restored rail service to and from New York Penn Station, according to an announcement posted on the New Jersey Transit website at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.  

One of two tracks into and out of New York was cleared for use, the announcement stated, allowing Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Line trains to operate. Due to limited capacity, however, commuters should expect delays up to an hour. Midtown Direct trains, meanwhile, will continue to operate to and from Hoboken, instead of New York, for the remainder of Wednesday. 

PATH will continue to cross-honor New Jersey Transit tickets at Newark, Hoboken and 33rd Street stations, according to the website. NJ Transit and private carrier buses will also honor rail tickets and passes to and from the Port Authority Bus Terminal. 

NJ Transit and Amtrak suspended rail service between Newark and New York shortly before noon Wednesday, when overhead electrical wires fell onto the tracks just west of Secaucus, just about guaranteeing a difficult evening commute. NJ Transit spokesman Dan Stessel said that the cause of the problem has not been determined.

The downed wires caused Amtrak to halt service on its Northeast Corridor line, which serves Newark and New York Penn Station, Amtrak spokeswoman Christina Leeds said. She added that Amtrak also suspended rail service on the Hellgate line near the Hunt's Point section of the Bronx due to "overhead wire problems." She declined to estimate when service on the Northeast Corridor and Hellgate lines will be restored.

NJ Transit is investigating the cause of the wire collapse, Stessel said. At 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, overhead electrical wires near the Portal Bridge, more than a mile west of Secaucus Junction Station, fell across the inbound and outbound NJ Transit tracks, Stessel said. One inbound train carrying about 600 passengers lost power and was stranded for about 40 minutes before it was towed back to Newark.

Here is the full list of changes and delays, as described on the NJ Transit website as of 3:15 p.m. Wednesday:

• Service to and from New York has been restored on the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast lines.  Due to limited track capacity, customers should expect delays of up to an hour. 
• There are no specific advisories for Raritan Valley Line customers, but all transit riders should expect significant delays Wednesday evening. 
• Midtown Directtrains will continue to operate to and from Hoboken, instead of New York, for the remainder of Wednesday. All Midtown Direct trains will make all local stops today.
• All trains in and out of Hoboken are subject to 20-30 minute delays due to congestion. 
• Customers on the Main, Bergen County, Pascack Valley and Port Jervis lines should travel via Hoboken, rather than Secaucus.