New York

Nightmare Friday: NJ Transit Suspended for Hours Between New York Penn, Newark Due to Stuck Bridge

Amtrak, which owns the bridge, tweeted an update shortly after 8 a.m. saying the broken bridge part was repaired earlier and crews were working to get all necessary devices going to restore normal rail traffic

What to Know

  • NJ Transit service was suspended in both directions between New York Penn and Newark early Friday due to a bridge stuck open
  • Service resumed shortly before 8:30 a.m., about three hours after the problem started, with lingering diversions and cancellations
  • Riders on the Midtown Direct line were being diverted to Hoboken; Amtrak says its trains were also affected

New Jersey Transit train service has resumed between New York Penn Station and Newark Penn, hours after a portal bridge got stuck open, creating a Friday commute disaster for tens of thousands of riders on multiple branches.

Some riders who already were on Midtown Direct trains at the time had to divert to Hoboken, and that 5:30 a.m. diversion plan remained in effect until after 9:30 a.m. despite the bridge reopening. NJ Transit and Amtrak warned of possible cancellations and delays through the morning because of the volume of impacted trains.

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Chopper 4 was over the scene and showed crews on the bridge working to fix the problem. Amtrak, which owns the bridge, tweeted an update shortly after 8 a.m. saying the broken bridge part had been repaired earlier, but crews had to restore other necessary devices to get normal rail service back on track.

NJ Transit rail tickets were being cross-honored with PATH, NJT buses, private carriers and NY Waterway until 11 a.m. Commuters at Hoboken were seen full on sprinting to catch a PATH train, bus or ferry as overcrowding and delays began to mount. 

Riders who managed to squeeze on trains to 33rd Street from Hoboken said there was not a square inch to spare.

That was hardly the only rail issue Friday morning. The MTA said service on the 7 line had been shut down between Flushing and Queensboro Plaza shortly after 8 a.m. because of a customer injury at 82nd Street-Jackson Heights. Full service had been restored by about 9:30 a.m. with lingering delays. Details on the injury that sparked the service changes weren't immediately clear.

And on the Long Island Rail Road, service was briefly suspended on the Far Rockaway Branch between Valley Stream and Far Rockaway due to an unauthorized vehicle on the tracks at Gibson. 

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