LIRR, NJ TRANSIT Commuters To Face Cancellations, Reroutes Until Mid-May
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Train commuters from Long Island and New Jersey were bracing this weekend for a second round of track repairs at Penn Station that will cause the cancellation of some trains and the re-routing of others.
The schedule changes beginning Monday will not be as widespread as those that occurred during this past summer – which was dubbed the "summer of hell." But they will last longer -- until late May.
Amtrak embarked on the accelerated repair schedule last year after two derailments and other problems highlighted the station's aging infrastructure.
The two-month summertime repair project targeted an area of the station fed by the Hudson River tunnel, where numerous tracks crisscross to feed into 21 platforms. The work was predicted to create the "summer of hell" by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, but the disruptions turned out to be not as dire as predicted.
This time, Amtrak will demolish and replace two tracks, and replace components in an area where Amtrak and Long Island Rail Road trains are shifted east to Sunnyside Yards in Queens.
Beginning Monday, NJ TRANSIT will terminate and originate one morning and one evening train at Hoboken and one in each period at Newark Penn Station. One evening outbound train will be canceled.
The Long Island Rail Road says it will reroute five morning and three evening trains to accommodate the work. To compensate, the LIRR will add two post-rush hour trains in the morning and three in the evening.
Amtrak also is making changes including canceling two trains between New York and Washington, D.C.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)