Amtrak, NJ Transit service fully restored after earlier major disruption
NEW YORK -- Commuters were moving again Monday after a major disruption on Amtrak and NJ Transit.
Service between New York City and Philadelphia was fully restored by the late afternoon, with only minor delays.
Amtrak cited overhead wire damage for the initial suspension earlier in the morning. NJ Transit riders were impacted as well because those trains use Amtrak's overhead wires and tracks. Crowds of commuters had been stuck waiting a long time for trains into Penn Station.
Officials said to expect delays all along the Northeast Corridor.
"It's just annoying, to be honest, but it's out of our control"
Jackson Freeman and Adam Mirenberg are college roommates who were trying to get back to school after heading home for Thanksgiving.
"I'm going to New Carlton in Maryland. We waited about an hour, just kept getting delayed. Then finally they said it was canceled, so we had to get a new train," said Jackson Freeman of Randolph, New Jersey. "Not pleasing. I wish I was on my way right now, but eventually we'll get there."
Catherine Paolazzi, a college student from Rutherford, was trying to get back to school in Rhode Island and the clock was ticking.
"It's just annoying, to be honest, but it's out of our control," Paolazzi said. "I have to get there today. I have an 8:30 [class] tomorrow morning. I have all five of my classes, so I've got to get out of here."
Amtrak travelers said they were glad to see service restored, but added the delays were discouraging.
"Absolutely," said George Correja of Mount Arlington, New Jersey. "Yeah, I mean, it sets me back a couple of hours, dealing with the holiday travelers. It's just that I'd much rather be doing something else rather than waiting."
Busy weekend at the airport
Sunday marked the busiest of the Thanksgiving travel period, with the Transportation Security Administration screening more than three million people.
According to AAA, 80 million people were expected to travel for the holiday. Among them, nearly six million were taking domestic flights -- a 2% jump from last year.
Airport staffing and the weather last week caused delays across the Tri-State Area, but flyers seemed to be in good spirits.
"It was not terrible, it's actually the best in the past three years," traveler Saema Tahir said.
"No issues, no problems, I'm shocked. I was like, really? Because I was sort of preparing myself mentally for it," said traveler Ed Martin.
Meanwhile, snow blanketed parts of western New York, impacting travelers headed in that direction. Some places near Buffalo saw more than 3 feet of snow.
CBS News New York's First Alert Weather team is now tracking our next chance of snow in the city late Wednesday into Thursday.
