NEW YORK (AP) - The Latest on full service being restored to New York’s Penn Station, four days after a train derailment (all times local):
1:30 p.m.
New Jersey’s two Democratic senators are urging their colleagues in Washington not to cut federal dollars for Amtrak rail improvements and repairs in the wake of Monday’s train derailment in New York.
U.S. Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker wrote a letter Friday to the Senate Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development.
They urged members not to accept Republican President Donald Trump’s proposed federal budget that they say would drastically cut funding for new transit projects and support for Amtrak.
The derailment at Penn Station on Amtrak-operated tracks caused widespread delays for hundreds of thousands of commuters.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said in a letter to Amtrak’s chairman Wednesday that he directed New Jersey Transit to withhold funds until an independent inspection verifies Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor is in good repair.
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8 a.m.
Amtrak says it has restored service on derailment-damaged tracks at New York’s Penn Station - but commuters on New Jersey Transit and the Long Island Rail Road have been urged to allow for extra travel time.
The LIRR canceled 10 trains into Manhattan for Friday’s morning rush hour and terminated four others at stations in Queens because Amtrak crews had not finished track work by 4 a.m., as promised.
Amtrak said at 7:30 a.m. that testing and inspections were completed. However, New Jersey Transit said there was still some work being done and its customers “may experience some delays.”
Eight of Penn Station’s 21 tracks went out of service Monday when an NJ Transit train derailed. Amtrak owns and maintains tracks used by the other railroads at Penn Station.
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6:45 a.m.
Amtrak says it has completed repairs to tracks at New York’s Penn Station, yet train service remains disrupted amid inspections of the work done to damaged rails.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority says it has canceled 10 Long Island Rail Road trains into Manhattan for Friday’s morning rush hour and terminated four others at stations in Queens because Amtrak crews didn’t finish track repair work by 4 a.m. as promised.
New Jersey Transit says its first two Midtown Direct trains arrived at Penn Station. However, Amtrak has not released the tracks for full operation. NJ Transit says delays will increase if the tracks are not released by 6:30 a.m.
Amtrak says the work is wrapping up and will be completed soon.
Eight of the 21 tracks have been out of service since Monday morning, when a New Jersey Transit train derailed.
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