NJ Transit Delays Ease After Morning Train Derailment
NEWARK, N.J. (AP/CBSNewYork) -- A derailed NJ Transit train that snarled the evening commute for tens of thousands of travelers is back on the tracks.
NJ Transit spokesman Dan Stessel said a crane lifted both derailed cars of the eight-car train back onto the track Monday evening, and workers were checking for track damage.
Stessel said any necessary repairs are expected to be complete in time for the Tuesday morning commute.
LINKS:Traffic and Transit | Planes, Trains & Automobiles Guide | NJ TRANSIT | LIRR
Stessel said two cars of an eight-car Midtown Direct train had a slow-speed derailment after departing New York's Penn Station at 10:50 a.m. Monday. No one was injured.
Midtown Direct trains will continue to originate and terminate at Hoboken Terminal, instead of New York, for the remainder of the service day, Stessel told WCBS 880.
As of 9 p.m. Monday, Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Line trains were arriving and departing New York on or close to schedule.
PATH and NJ Transit buses are cross-honoring NJ Transit passes between Hoboken and 33rd Street.
NJ Transit spokesperson Penny Bassett Hackett spoke with WCBS 880 and said the agency hopes to "have things back to normal by [Tuesday] morning."
LISTEN: Train disruptions could continue through the night
"It's going to be a long night," one commuter from Morristown told 1010 WINS' Sonia Rincon during the height of the delays.
"Today my train is canceled. I'm sure the next one will be canceled. My commute normally is about two to two and a half hours. You add two or three hours...I'm on the train longer than I am in the office," Kate Amoderi told CBS 2's John Slattery.
After earlier delays, Long Island Rail Road trains are now on or close to schedule.
On Penn Station's main floor, commuters were watching cancellations and delays.
"It's confusing and slow at this point, that's all I got," Emily Weber said.
"I'm a little concerned... if my train gets canceled, I need to get back to school," John Izzo said.
"I hope it's not our train. I'm trying to get out of here," Tony Marcano said.
(TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
