(Bloomberg) -- Amtrak railway service across the Northeast Corridor faced delays and cancellations on Monday, causing chaos for passengers traveling ahead of the holidays.
Travelers should expect a “significant delay” in and out of New York Penn Station as the rail network seeks to recover from signal power issues, according to a statement on Amtrak’s website. Some parts of the corridor experienced service suspensions on Sunday, which has caused “crew constraints” and all trains operating between Washington Union Station and Boston South Station may be impacted due to both ongoing and residual issues.
The disruptions are happening at an inopportune time with travelers attempting to get home to family and friends ahead of Christmas and the start of Hanukkah on Wednesday. The Northeast Corridor is the busiest stretch of rail in the country, with more than 750,000 people traveling on the system via 2,200 passenger trains each day.
Gretel Crockett came to New York from Maine to spend a celebratory weekend in the city and see the Radio City Rockettes. She’s now trying to get home. Her train was initially delayed by more than 90 minutes and she’s concerned about making her connection in Boston.
“If it wasn’t Christmas, I wouldn’t be so worried,” she said in an interview. “But I have my kids and family waiting for me. I want to get home by tomorrow for Christmas Eve, for sure.”
Amtrak is canceling select service to minimize delays, including several Acela trains — the higher-speed rail option that connects East Coast cities.
At least eight services have been canceled due to signal issues, while two between Boston and Washington were suspended because of equipment unavailability.
The disruptions come as freezing temperatures hit certain areas throughout the tristate region. Extreme weather can strain the power infrastructure that runs through the Northeast Corridor, the busiest rail segment in the US. The system is vulnerable to swings in the temperature both hot and cold, according to the Amtrak website.
Ryan and Bennie Richards are trying to travel home to Philadelphia from New York but their train on Sunday was delayed by five hours. Instead of waiting, the couple decided to spend the night in a hotel and scheduled a new departure on Monday, which has also since been delayed.
“Here’s the American system for you,” said Ryan Richards, a 38-year-old project manager, in an interview. The two just returned from a three-week trip to Japan and Thailand where they had a great experience with public transit. “It’s frustrating that during such an important time of year Amtrak isn’t equipped to get people home on time.”
During a cold snap earlier this month, both commuter trains as well as Amtrak service experienced lengthy delays because of overhead wire damage. And last winter, Amtrak was forced to cancel a number of Acela trains because some of the older models were unable to operate effectively in the extreme cold.
Inside Union Station in Washington, every train but two headed to Penn Station in New York was either canceled or delayed Monday morning, according to Amtrak’s website. Many left late by only a few minutes while others, such as the 9:35 a.m. Northeast Regional, departed more than an hour behind schedule.
On the loud speakers at Moynihan Train Hall in New York, passengers heard acknowledgment of the service interruptions.
“We would like to apologize for all the delays, cancellations and any inconveniences we may have caused you,” a representative said.
Early Monday, Amtrak said the service issues were an “ongoing situation” and crews are actively working to resolve them, the transit system said in a service alert posted to its website. There is “no estimate” for the normal resumption of standard service, according to the statement.
--With assistance from Anthony Palazzo, Elizabeth Rembert, Will Kubzansky and Scott Carpenter.
(Updates story with anecdotes from Amtrak riders throughout.)
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