Penn Station tunnel fire disrupts New York rail service

Penn Station tunnel fire disrupted rail service into and out of New York’s Penn Station on the evening of Thursday, May 14. The fire occurred earlier that day in a tunnel approaching the station. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

East River tunnel fire affects Penn Station service

Amtrak spokesman Jason Abrams told Gothamist that the fire was reported at 11:35 a.m. in one tube of the East River tunnel between Penn Station and Queens. It was extinguished at 12:55 p.m. WNBC-TV reported that Amtrak described the incident as an electrical fire that caused significant damage, directly affecting two tracks and bringing traffic east of the station to a full stop.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said in an 8 p.m. ET update that Long Island Rail Road service was still suspended. Most LIRR trains were operating to or from Grand Central Madison. Newsday reported that an MTA spokeswoman said at 7 p.m. ET that Amtrak crews would work through the night on repairs, and that the LIRR did not then “have a prediction for tomorrow morning’s rush hour.”

Also, riders were advised to check the MTA website on Friday morning for updated information. Newsday reported that John McCarthy, the MTA’s chief of external relations, said there “definitely will be impacts” to LIRR operations on Friday.

Amtrak and NJ Transit resume service with delays

NJ Transit had diverted most of its Penn Station service to Hoboken, N.J. In its latest website update, the agency said service to Penn Station had resumed. Most trains were running on or close to schedule.

Separately, Amtrak said its own service resumed at about 1 p.m. Still, delays of up to one hour were expected to continue for the rest of the day. The delays were expected because congestion remained after the track closures.

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