NJ Transit riders caught something of a lucky break this Friday the 13th, even as they faced significant delays due to Amtrak overhead wire issues.
NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri said he got word early Friday morning that an Amtrak catenary pole supporting suspended electrical wires near the old Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River needed to be repaired, with the morning rush hour quickly approaching.
The ailing bridge has long served as a gateway to New York City for multiple commuter lines and Amtrak, which shares tracks with NJ Transit between Trenton and Manhattan Penn Station. The old bridge would often get stuck when swinging open to let river traffic through, sometimes snarling the Northeast Corridor for hours.
But the new Portal North Bridge, which has been under construction as part of a phased “cutover” replacement project, was already wired and ready to carry commuter trains. Crews were able to get limited service running on it three days ahead of its scheduled Monday debut, partially alleviating Friday’s meltdown, according to NJ Transit. The bridge is also tall enough to allow boats and barges to flow along the river beneath without having to open.
“So thank God for that,” Kolluri said in an interview with CBS News, “even though it’s Friday the 13th.”
Still, as of Friday afternoon, NJ Transit said affected riders were facing up to 60-minute delays between New York and Newark Penn Stations, with limited service. Amtrak said its customers were also facing delays in the area.
Northeast Corridor service was making local stops from Trenton to Newark Penn Station, and North Jersey Coast Line trains were stopping locally from Rahway to Newark Penn Station, according to NJ Transit. Rail tickets were cross-honored on NJ Transit buses and PATH at Newark Penn, Hoboken and 33rd Street.
Kolluri said the incident demonstrates why replacing the rest of the corridor’s aging infrastructure is important. The new Portal North Bridge, he noted, has a more modern electrical system which the broader Northeast Corridor still lacks.
“ They have to do that now through the entire corridor,” he said. “So our commuters, New Jersey Transit commuters, don’t have the same problem every single day.”
An Amtrak spokesperson said in a statement that “a few catenary poles” on the old Portal Bridge were leaning and disrupting train service, so Amtrak began running trains on the new bridge shortly before 6 a.m. He said officials are still investigating the cause of the issue and working on repairs.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill took a ceremonial train over the new bridge on Thursday. She said the old bridge, which more than 200,000 commuters relied on daily and was built more than a century ago, will be phased out by the fall.
