NEW YORK — Delays continue as Amtrak continues to restore operations between Philadelphia and New York after a suspension for much of the morning because of downed overhead power wires today (Dec. 22, 2024) near Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station.
Amtrak’s latest update, as of 1:30 p.m. ET, says two of the four tracks in the area have now been restored, after the first was reopened about 12:20 p.m. ET. Trains are operating through the area at reduced speed, and delays of 30 to 60 minutes should be expected.
NJ Transit’s website says its Atlantic City Line operations remain suspended between Cherry Hill, N.J., and Philadelphia.
According to WCAU-TV, the issue was first reported by NJ Transit about 3:30 a.m. An Amtrak advisory at 5 a.m. ET estimated service would be restored at 10 a.m.; that was pushed back to noon before the current single-track operation was established.
The issue is impaction operations from Boston to Washington, Amtrak says. Its NEC Alerts feed on X.com indicates that because of resulting equipment-availability issues, three Acela trips been cancelled between Boston and Washington, while another has been scrubbed between Washington and New York.
Amtrak and NJ Transit experienced significant issues with the NEC catenary system earlier this year, leading to a joint effort to address infrastructure and rolling-stock issues. The two operators provided new information on that effort in a report last month [see “Amtrak, NJ Transit update efforts …,” Trains News Wire, Nov. 20, 2024].
— Updated at 11:55 a.m. CT with resumption of some service; updated at 3:10 p.m. CT with additional information.
Passengers could take SEPTA Market St. Subway from 30th St to 8th St; PATCO Speed Line to Camden; NJT River Line to Trenton; NJT NEC train to NY.
PATCO was honoring NJT RR tix to connect with NJT ACY trains.
very cold and windy need better system for overhead wire
supposed to have been a tree?