A component on the Amtrak train came loose and contacted the third rail near tunnels used by Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road and NJ Transit. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Amtrak NextGen Acela earns Alstom Fast Company nod
Photo: Alstom

The NextGen Acela tunnel fire that disrupted Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road and NJ Transit trains serving New York’s Penn Station last week was caused by a side skirt on an Amtrak NextGen Acela train that came loose and touched the electrified third rail.

The cause of the May 14 fire on Line 4 was reported by the New York Daily News. The paper obtained an image showing the skirt board of the NextGen Acela in contact with the third rail.

Laura Mason, Amtrak’s executive vice president of capital delivery, told The Gothamist that the incident occurred at Amtrak’s C interlocking, just outside the East River Tunnels. That placed the incident at a point used by Amtrak Northeast Corridor trains and by LIRR and NJ Transit commuter services.

“They have some teething challenges,” Mason said of the NextGen Acelas, which entered service last year, more than four years later than planned.

East River Tunnels disruption affected Penn Station tracks

Commuter rail operators were hit hardest by the disruption because of where the fire occurred. The fire was reported at 11:22 a.m. on Thursday on Line 4 of the East River Tunnels. That forced traffic to stop through tunnels 3 and 4.

Twenty-six Fire Department of New York units, involving more than 80 firefighters, extinguished the blaze by about 1 p.m. Smoke conditions complicated the response. In addition, crews had to switch off third-rail power.

With Lines 3 and 4 unavailable, four Penn Station tracks could not be used. They were Nos. 18 through 21, used mainly by the LIRR. The outage also blocked the most direct route to Sunnyside Yard for Amtrak and NJ Transit trains. Under normal conditions, the East River Tunnels carry 42 trains per hour.

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