Rail service was disrupted for a second day on Friday, with Amtrak trains into and out of New York City delayed or canceled and service on the commuter line NJ Transit suspended during the morning rush.

Several Amtrak trains scheduled to run between New York City and upstate New York were canceled, the railroad said on X, and trains from Pennsylvania to New York were terminating in Philadelphia.


What You Need To Know

  • Rail service was disrupted for a second day on Friday, with Amtrak trains into and out of New York City delayed or canceled and service on the commuter line NJ Transit suspended during the morning rush
  • Widespread train delays and sweltering heat made for a nightmarish commute Thursday evening

  • Amtrak warned commuters Thursday afternoon that high temperatures may require trains to operate at lower speeds

As of 4:30 p.m., there are still 30-minute delays due to "Amtrak overhead wire issues," according to the NJ Transit website.

Midtown direct trains were being diverted to Hoboken, New Jersey. Raritan Valley Line service will originate from Newark Penn Station. NJ Transit rail tickets and passes are being cross honored by NJ Transit, private carrier buses and the PATH at Newark Penn Station, Hoboken and 33rd Street in New York.

It comes after Amtrak delayed or canceled trains in and out of the city.

NJ Transit, meanwhile, appeared to blame Amtrak for the fact that its own service in and out of Penn Station was suspended during Friday's morning rush hour.

“Rail service is suspended into and out of Penn Station New York due to AMTRAK overhead wire issues in Penn Station New York,” the commuter line, which shares tracks with Amtrak, said on its website.

Service resumed around 11 a.m. with 45-minute delays, NJ Transit said.

Widespread train delays and sweltering heat made for a nightmarish commute Thursday evening.

"I'm disgusted because it's always something different,” said Denise Wooten, who commutes from Montclair, New Jersey, to Penn Station for work. “Delays. This has been going on for too long now. Every time you turn around. I just want to get home.”

NJ Transit and Amtrak users arrived at Penn Station Thursday only to learn that power outages were causing delays from New Haven all the way to Philadelphia.

An Amtrak spokesperson said two things were to blame for the service disruptions: brush fires in Secaucus, New Jersey and a malfunctioning circuit breaker which caused a loss in power on the tracks between New York, and Newark Penn stations.

"I take the train every day, but over the last couple of weeks, NJ Transit has really sucked. I mean we have had very poor services,” said Thurston Green, who takes Amtrak five days a week.

To make matters more unconformable, temperatures climbed well into the 90s Thursday, marking the hottest day of the year so far. And below ground, there wasn’t much relief.

"Look at me. I'm sweating, it's hot. It's too much,” said Wooten.

Amtrak warned commuters Thursday afternoon that high temperatures may require trains to operate at lower speeds, resulting in delays of up to 60 minutes between noon and 7:30 p.m. for the remainder of the week.

Power was restored at 5:30 p.m., but Amtrak warned riders to expect congestion along the rails.

Commuters said they’d like to see more accountability from transit leaders both in New York and New Jersey.

“They have to fix the trains. We keep spending all this money, $5 a fare. There are 365 days in a year, how much money are you spending here? Where's that money going to?” said Shawn Mendez, who was traveling to an event in Newark.

A heat advisory has been issued for the city beginning noon Friday with feels-like temperatures expected to reach 97 degrees.