Amtrak, NJ Transit Back On Track After Wire Problem
SOUTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) -- A downed power wire slowed Amtrak and NJ Transit trains headed for New York City for more than five hours Monday.
About 40 feet of wire came down around 1:30 a.m. and was back in place by 6:40 a.m., NJ Transit spokesman Dan Stessel said.
It was not known what caused the problem.
Amtrak trains were operating three to five minutes behind schedule until workers made repairs, Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said.
NJ Transit's Northeast Corridor trains out of Trenton ran up to 30 minutes late until the wire was replaced.
The downed wire was the latest in a series of power problems that plagued Amtrak and NJ Transit riders through the summer.
In August, Amtrak said low-voltage troubles forced it to suspend service for nearly two hours between New York City and Washington, and between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pa.
Two weeks earlier, passengers confronted delays of up to two hours after a fallen tree took down overhead lines and knocked out power and rail signals.
The railroad has embarked on a long-term program to modernize dozens of substations along the Northeast Corridor, some of which date to before World War II.
(Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
