Commuters faced another New Jersey Transit derailment at Penn Station Thursday night, but normal service has resumed on or close to regular schedules for the Friday morning commute, the agency said.
Train service in/out of Penn Station New York is now operating on or close schedule.
— NJ TRANSIT (@NJTRANSIT) July 7, 2017
A low-speed train derailed as it pulled into Penn Station just after 9 p.m. None of the roughly 180 passengers or crew that were on board were injured, ABC News reported.
NJ Transit tweeted Thursday night that it was “working with Amtrak to determine the cause.” Amtrak owns and operates the 21 tracks used by NJ Transit and the Long Island Rail Road at Penn Station, the busiest rail hub in the country.
NJT is working with Amtrak to determine the cause of the slow speed derailment. Info for tomorrow’s service will be provided when available.
— NJ TRANSIT (@NJTRANSIT) July 7, 2017
Amtrak’s service was not suspended after last night’s derailment, but riders did face delays while crews were on the scene of what it called “a minor derailment.” In a statement early Friday, Amtrak said “customers can expect some minor congestion-related delays.”
The NJ Transit derailment came just three days before Amtrak begins its “summer of hell” repair work at Penn Station, which will cause service changes and cancellations for NJ Transit, LIRR and certain Amtrak riders from July 10 through Sept. 1. When Amtrak first revealed its repair plan, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said it would cause a “summer of hell” for commuters.
The work, which will shut down several of Penn Station’s 21 tracks at a clip, is an acceleration of “already-planned improvements” to the hub’s infrastructure set to take place through June 2018, Amtrak said.
The repairs were accelerated following a slew of derailments, including two that were just days apart earlier this year, and other service problems that caused commuting chaos for both NJ Transit and LIRR riders.
While the cause of last night’s NJ Transit derailment is still unknown, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie tweeted a statement Friday morning that said he is “calling for a full investigation into all potential causes. The safety of New Jersey citizens is paramount, and we will do everything possible to ensure that NJ Transit and Penn Station are safe,” he added.
My statement on last night’s NJ Transit train derailment at Penn Station New York: pic.twitter.com/4naduT5ItU
— Governor Christie (@GovChristie) July 7, 2017
