Monday, October 25, 2010

Delays Mount on Northeast Corridor After Derailment at NY Penn Station

A derailed train leaving NY Penn Station has blocked eight of 12 tracks in the station, meaning that commuters and travelers are facing delays of an hour or more on the Northeast Corridor. This affects Amtrak and NJ Transit, and the problem isn't expected to be resolved until well into the evening commute.

This problem highlights one of the problems with the current layout of tracks and facilities for NJ Transit and Amtrak at NY Penn Station, and would be mitigated by additional tunnels leading from New Jersey to NY Penn Station - but not the ARC Tunnel as it is currently envisioned. If the ARC Tunnel connected with NY Penn Station, additional tracks would be accessible and the derailed train would not block 75% of the tracks available to passenger boarding for trips to points South of New York City.

NJ Transit is cross honoring tickets, as is PATH. Midtown Direct is terminating in Hoboken, instead of NY Penn Station.

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