NJ TRANSIT on or close to schedule after brush fires in Central New Jersey brought trains to a standstill

There's good news for commuters on Thursday morning after brush fires brought service to a standstill Wednesday evening, CBS2's Zinnia Maldonado reports. 

NJ TRANSIT said just before 1 a.m. Thursday that Northeast Corridor service was operating on or close to schedule between Trenton and Penn Station.

As a result, NJ TRANSIT rail tickets and passes are no longer being cross-honored by PATH at Newark Penn Station and 33rd Street.

Commuters at Penn Station consulted with NJ TRANSIT employees while trying to get around significant delays.

"I don't know when I can get home and my daughter is home alone today, so ugh," Princeton resident George Liu said.

According to the Edison Police chief, a train hauling garbage caught on fire. Sparks from the train hit nearby trees, causing brush fires in Edison, Highland Park and New Brunswick.

That train happened to be running on the same line as commuter trains.

"The train got canceled, then there was another train that we wanted to catch," Trenton resident Saiuri Berry said.

That train was canceled too. Commuters at Penn Station waited around for hours, finding any place they could sit and rest their feet.

"We had a great day until now," Trenton resident Dahlia Stone said.

Working train lines went local to accommodate as many passengers as possible. Crowds piled in, not knowing when the next train may be coming. For some, celebrations had to wait.

"I have my 1-year-old and my wife waiting, and it's the first night of Ramadan," Hamilton resident Muhammad Hashaam said.

It was a huge disruption to the evening commute. As folks tried to navigate the inconvenience, an Uber to Trenton that would normally cost about $75 was now at least $250.

"I thought Amtrak was gonna work, but Amtrak is delayed too," Burlington resident Juliette Wilson said.

"I dread coming to New York because of this," Metuchen resident Addi Fadel said.

While frustrations grew for some, others took it in stride.

"I'll get home eventually," Hamilton resident Lenny Kopoff said.

NJ TRANSIT employees say Port Authority is cross-honoring tickets, so those who want to take the bus instead can do so.

At 11 p.m., employees said it was still too soon to tell if the Thursday morning commute would be affected.

NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak commuters are still dealing with delays after brush fires in Central Jersey suspended service on the Northeast Corridor.

The crowd at Penn Station had thinned out a bit by 9 p.m. as trains slowly got passengers out of the city and to New Jersey.

According to Edison Police, sparks were seen coming from the bottom of a Northeast Corridor train. They say it set fire to brushes in Edison, Highland Park and New Brunswick.

Commuters were stuck on a train at Metropark station while crowds piled onto the platform

At Penn Station, commuters waited around for hours, trying to find any place they could sit and rest their feet.

It was a huge disruption to the evening commute as folks tried to navigate the inconvenience.

"Go to Metropark to then get on a bus to then get to Trenton to then get to where you gotta go," Burlington resident Juliette Wilson said.

"There's no clear information available on what's happening, when the next train will be available," Hamilton resident Muhammad Hashaam said.

NJ TRANSIT employees say Port Authority is cross-honoring tickets, so people interested in taking the bus can do that.

As for the morning commute, it's still too soon to tell if it will be affected.

Edison Police told CBS2 the fires were caused by sparks coming from the bottom of a train along the Northeast Corridor. 

However, the New Jersey DEP said they are still investigating the cause, and it is too soon to determine. 

Dan Rice discussed the challenges firefighters face as they try to contain the brush fires. See it in the video above. 

One blaze spread to a train support beam in Matawan. We're told that fire was mostly extinguished. 

Commuters were stuck on an Amtrak train at Metropark Station. 

The Northeast Corridor line was suspended in both directions between Trenton and New York Penn Station. 

One woman new to the area says she barely knows how to get home using transit. 

"I actually just started working in New York, like two, three weeks ago. So I'm still learning the subway, the train station and everything. So yeah, this is kind of really inconvenient," she said. "So the guy told me the only way to get to Hamilton is the bus, and I've never taken the bus from here before. So now I have to figure out how to do that." 

NJ TRANSIT briefly suspended Northeast Corridor service as a result of the fires. 

The fires took place right by the railbed of the tracks, which are owned by Amtrak. 

There was no immediate word on the cause of the fires, which were taking place in Hackensack, Edison, New Brunswick, Matawan, Wayne and Highland Park. 

Some commuters at New York's Penn Station had to figure out another way to get home. Rush hour is normally busy, but the cancellations led to Penn Station getting extremely crowded. 

"The last three trains heading to Trenton have been canceled," one commuter said. 

"Do you have another way of getting home," CBS2's Alecia Reid asked. 

"Not really. I'll get home eventually," he replied. 

"I have no way to get home. So I don't know what to do," another commuter said. "I guess I'll take an Uber or something. I don't know what to do." 

Morris and Essex, Midtown Direct and North Jersey Coastline continued to operate, but were extremely crowded. 

Chopper 2 was over the scene. Check out Dan Rice's report in the video above.