One car of a New Jersey Transit train derailed at Penn Station Thursday night, forcing the railroad to suspend service in and out of the busy transit hub, according to an agency spokeswoman.
North Jersey Coast Line train No. 3276, which had nine cars and left Long Branch at 7:20 p.m., was nearing the station around 9:10 p.m., but had not yet pulled up to a platform when the derailment occurred, the spokeswoman said.
NJ Transit described the derailment as “minor,” but all Midtown Direct trains were diverted to Hoboken for most of the night. Regular service was restored early Friday morning, but the agency said to expect some delays.
Amtrak service was also expected to be normal Friday morning. “Customers can expect some minor congestion-related delays,” the agency said in an emailed statement.
Long Island Rail Road service was not impacted by the derailment, the MTA said.
There were about 180 passengers and crew on board the train at the time, a NJ Transit official said. There were no reports of injuries, according to the FDNY and NJ Transit.
A rescue train was dispatched so that passengers could be taken to Penn Station, the spokeswoman said.
The derailment occurred just days before Amtrak, which owns and operates the tracks at Penn Station, begins its summer track work program.
“The renewal work at A interlocking will move forward as scheduled,” Amtrak said in a statement.
The busy Northeast Corridor around Penn Station has been beset by problems in the past few months. Two derailments, a power failure, signal problems and other issues at Penn Station have pushed Amtrak to begin replacing aging tracks and other equipment, and have caused numerous delays for commuters.
Next week, LIRR and NJ Transit riders will be displaced by the badly needed infrastructure repairs, starting what Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has dubbed the “summer of hell.”
With Nicole Brown and Newsday
