Commuter hell in the Northeast Corridor: “I’ll be a few days late…”


At approximately 8 a.m., a major power outage hit the train system that links New York City and Washington, DC. In addition to the thousands of commuters from New Jersey who depend on NJ Transit, Amtrak travelers and commuters from the Queens borough of New York were also stranded en route. SEPTA lines in Philadelphia and MARC lines in Maryland were also hit by the outtage.

This report comes from Wayne Parry of the Associated Press,

Five trains are stuck inside tunnels, and many passengers have been forced to get out and walk to the nearest station. Three NJ Transit trains and one Amtrak train were stuck in a tunnel under the Hudson River heading into New York. A fifth train was stuck in a rail tunnel in Baltimore.

Commuter trains are back in operation, but nothing can get moving until the stuck trains are out of the way. Amtrak is investigating the source of the outtage and is working to restore operations along the busy Northeast Corridor.

Happy travels, everyone. (Just be glad it’s not a terrorist attack.)

Photo courtesy of the Associated Press.