NEWARK, N.J. — New Jersey commuters endured a second straight day of major transit delays Thursday morning as both NJ Transit and PATH trains faced disruptions heading into New York City.
NJ Transit riders were first alerted just after 7 a.m. to delays of up to 20 minutes due to an Amtrak switch issue and ongoing track maintenance near Elizabeth. By the peak of the morning commute, those delays had increased to 30 minutes in and out of Penn Station.
According to NJ Transit, the issue stemmed from infrastructure managed by Amtrak, which controls the tracks leading into Penn Station. The delay came less than 24 hours after a similar issue caused problems for Long Island Rail Road commuters using the same corridor.
PATH service then suffered its own blow shortly after 8 a.m. when trains were suspended between Grove Street and Journal Square due to a reported “track condition.” Although PATH service resumed within the hour, delays lingered well into the morning.
Thursday’s disruptions come amid continued maintenance and upgrade work on shared infrastructure used by multiple transit systems across the region.
Key points
- NJ Transit delays reached 30 minutes due to Amtrak switch and maintenance near Elizabeth
- PATH trains suspended between Grove Street and Journal Square during morning rush
- Second consecutive day of commuter disruptions involving Amtrak-managed tracks
Amtrak issues ripple across regional transit systems
Amtrak, which owns and operates critical portions of track used by NJ Transit, LIRR, and PATH, has been conducting a series of maintenance operations, some of which have triggered wider service impacts. Wednesday’s issues on the LIRR were also traced back to Amtrak-related disruptions.
The overlapping service problems have prompted renewed concern from commuters and local officials about aging infrastructure and coordination between agencies.
Neither NJ Transit nor Amtrak provided an estimate for when the issues near Elizabeth would be fully resolved. PATH did not elaborate on the nature of the “track condition” that led to its service suspension.
While delays eased by mid-morning, transit agencies warned of possible residual disruptions into the afternoon.