Rockland Metro-North Commuters: Penn Station Delays Will Continue Indefinitely, NJ Transit Says

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — Rockland commuters who take Metro-North into and out of NYC can expect to cut their AM routines a little short. Evening commuters can expect to get home a little bit later. But in the end, any commuter passing through New York Penn Station will end up sacrificing an extra 15 minutes per weekday trip due to ongoing Amtrak maintenance work and track inspections, officials say.

On Monday, NJ Transit officials announced that “effective immediately and continuing until further notice”, its customers traveling to and from New York Penn Station will experience estimated delays of 15 minutes on weekdays and 30 minute delays on the weekends.

As a result, some tracks also may be taken out-of-service from time to time causing further delays, the agency added.

“This is in addition to delays that may occur as the result of weekend programmed maintenance elsewhere on the Northeast Corridor, as well as the North Jersey Coast Line and Morris & Essex Lines,” NJ Transit officials stated.

Amtrak posted its own statement about the ongoing delays: “Customers may experience delays between New York and New Jersey due to ongoing track inspections and maintenance at New York Penn Station. We apologize to customers for any delays as a result of this work.”

Customers — including travelers who use the Pascack Valley and Port Jervis Lines as one leg of their NYC commute — were encouraged to “plan ahead, give themselves extra travel time and take note of alternative transportation options” such as NJ Transit buses, private carrier buses and the Port Authority PATH train system.

Riders seeking further information can call NJ Transit customer service at (973) 275-5555 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., the agency stated.

The announcements about the delays come after multiple recent derailments at the station, as well as ongoing track maintenance issues including "disabled trains."

See related articles:

• NJ Transit Derailment At Penn Station Injures 5
• NJ Transit Derailment Means Pascack, Port Jervis Delays
  
• Amtrak Train Derails At NY Penn Station, Minor Injuries To NJ Transit Riders
• NY Penn Station Delays, Hoboken Diversions After Disabled Amtrak Train
• Penn Station Delays Persist as Track Repairs Go On

Photo: Flickr Commons

By Eric Kiefer (Patch Staff). Lanning Taliaferro contributed to this report.