The Wednesday morning commute got off to a chaotic start after a New Jersey Transit train derailed at Penn Station and straphangers faced massive delays on several subway lines.
The NJ Transit derailment was the fourth this year at the nation’s busiest rail terminal. The train went off Track 4 around 4:20 a.m., just after leaving the rail yard with only a conductor and motorman on board, the New York Daily News reported.
Neither worker was injured, but the derailment caused residual delays of around 20 minutes on the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast, Morris & Essex and Montclair-Boonton lines because the train cars were blocking a total of five tracks.
By 7 a.m., the train was put back on the tracks and moved, and serviced resumed “on/close to schedule,” NJ Transit said on Twitter.
NEC, NJCL, MOBO MTD service is subject to up to 20 min delays in both directions into/out of PSNY due to an earlier train derailment in NY.
— NJ TRANSIT (@NJTRANSIT) August 23, 2017
NJCL, NEC & MOBO Midtown Direct service is now operating on/ close to schedule following earlier minor derailment in Penn Station New York.
— NJ TRANSIT (@NJTRANSIT) August 23, 2017
The agency is still investigating what caused the latest derailment, which came during Amtrak’s summer-long repair work at Penn Station that has caused several service changes to NJ Transit, Amtrak and Long Island Rail Road schedules since it began July 10. The work is slated to be done by Sept. 1.
Meanwhile on the subway …
Straphangers are continuing to face massive delays across several subway lines as the morning progresses.
A train with mechanical problems at DeKalb Avenue is causing southbound N and Q trains to run on the R line from 34th Street-Herald Square to DeKalb Avenue, while delays are expected on B, D, E, F, M, N, Q and R trains, the MTA said at 10:33 a.m.
B, D, E, F, M, N, Q & R service changes and delays; due to a train with mechanical problems at DeKalb Av. See https://t.co/vhZQ2kHr6B
— NYCT Subway (@NYCTSubway) August 23, 2017
A small fire in the tunnel between Queens and Grand Central caused major delays on the 7 train around 9 a.m., the Daily News reported. Officials are still investigating the fire’s cause, but service has resumed with “extensive delays,” the MTA tweeted just before 10 a.m.
Following an earlier incident involving FDNY activity at Grand Central-42 St, 7 train service has resumed with delays.
— NYCT Subway (@NYCTSubway) August 23, 2017
