Detached Amtrak Train Cars, Overhead Wire Problems Among Issues Plaguing Tri-State Rail Travelers On Thanksgiving Eve
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It was a frustrating and at times alarming Thanksgiving Eve for many train travelers in the Tri-State area who were trying to get home for the holiday.
Amtrak Train 68, called the Adirondack, was travelling from Montreal to New York Penn Station when two of its cars separated near Albany shortly before 7:30 p.m.
"No heat, no electricity, temperature was dropping and every time we opened the sliding door it just got colder and colder," passenger James D'Amato told CBS2.
None of the 287 passengers or crew were injured, and the rail company said a recovery engine was dispatched to transfer affected passengers from the disabled train.
Earlier in the day, NJ TRANSIT service along the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast lines was briefly suspended on one of the busiest travel days of the year due to overhead wire problems in New Jersey.
Crowds were packed to the brim at Penn Station New York after NJ TRANSIT says plastic wrap became tangled in Amtrak-owned wires near the North Elizabeth station.
Service resumed after less than an hour, but eventually resumed with residual delays of up to 30-minutes.
NJ TRANSIT and private bus carriers were cross-honoring rail tickets and passes, as were PATH stations in Hoboken, Newark Penn Station, and Herald Square.
Passengers from the disabled Amtrak train were expected to arrive in New York City sometime before midnight, over two and a half hours late.
