Amtrak Officials Announce Completion Of Track Work At Penn Station
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Amtrak has completed the track work at Penn Station that forced the railroads that share the busy transit hub to curtail service for eight weeks.
Amtrak co-CEO Wick Moorman said Thursday that the repairs were completed ``on time, on budget and most importantly, safely.''
As 1010 WINS' Al Jones reported, normal service into and out of Penn Station will resume Tuesday for Amtrak, New Jersey Transit and the Long Island Rail Road.
All three railroads reduced service when the repair work started in early July.
Amtrak officials were all smiles when making the announcement, but Scott Neparstack couldn't rule out future problems.
"We're going to get a more reliable performance, but we're not going to have perfection," he said.
The repairs centered on the sorting mechanism that routes trains between New York and New Jersey as well as trains to the LIRR's West Side railyard.
Amtrak officials say additional repair work still to be completed will be done on nights and weekends and won't affect service.
"There are approximately $38-billion in backlong of projects needed to bring the NEC to the term 'state of good repair," Neparstack said.
That $38-billion will be used for everything from replacing rail and ties to fixing bridges.
Bathroom work at Penn Station will begin in a few weeks, and is expected to be complete by the end of the year.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)