Amtrak Says Repair Work At Penn Station Moving Ahead Of Schedule
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- As we approach the end of week one of summer track repairs at Penn Station, Amtrak says the emergency track work is slightly ahead of schedule.
Hundreds of workers on site have already replaced two switches on Interlocking A, while two other switches are in the process of being replaced.
"We've had a very good week. I'd like to start by thanking the passengers of Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road, and New Jersey Transit," Amtrak Chief Operating Officer Scot Naparstek said.
He says the reduced schedule has been a big help. As 1010 WINS' Al Jones reported, while some LIRR contingency plans have been underused, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Joe Lhota says it's too early to pull the plug.
"People may have been on vacation this week, they may want to take the bus. So we have to monitor that, over a couple of weeks, to be able to determine whether or not we roll any of it back," he told 1010 WINS.
Track 10 has been removed, and the ground is being prepared for a new rail to be installed.
Train service is being reduced by 20 percent during the eight-week long repair work.
After one week, Lhota says he remains cautiously optimistic that things will continue to go well.
On Saturday afternoon, NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak service in and out of Penn Station was delayed for several hours due to a disabled train in one of the Hudson River tunnels.