NJ Transit, Amtrak Suspend Rail Service In and Out of Penn Station, Causing Commute Chaos
Penn #Penn
A New Jersey Transit train in Piscataway, New Jersey
All NJ Transit and Amtrak rail service in and out of New York’s Penn Station was suspended for over an hour amid the evening rush hour Wednesday, the transit agency announced, causing chaos for scores of commuters looking to get home.
NJ Transit said the suspension, which was announced just after 5 p.m., came as a result of police activity near Secaucus Junction, but did not provide any further details regarding what the police activity was concerning.
The Secaucus police chief said law enforcement received word that a train engineer saw two children playing on the tracks, then did not see them anymore. Police were looking to see if the children had been struck.
The Hudson County Sheriff’s Office said they were looking into the area of Secaucus Road in North Bergen for the reports of a child possibly being struck by a train. Drones were being used to investigate the area, according to the sheriff’s office.
Rail tickets and passes were being cross-honored by PATH at Newark Penn Station, Hoboken and 33rd Street, though throngs of people crowded the Manhattan station, making getting across the Hudson a nightmare. The line to get into the 33rd Street PATH station was said to be backed up onto Sixth Avenue around 5:30 p.m.
NJ Transit also encouraged riders to use bus service instead. The transit agency said around 6 p.m. that service would be resumed “shortly.”
There were a slew of Amtrak trains out of NY Penn Station also being held, though that hold was lifted shortly after 6 p.m. Trains were expected to begin again with residual delays.
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